Israel’s secretive Mossad intelligence agency launched a covert international operation this week to fly in up to 100,000 coronavirus testing kits, although the effort may have been in vain as critical parts were reportedly missing.

Domestic news outlets, citing government and health officials, reported that the secrecy of the operation was because the kits were acquired from at least two unnamed countries that do not have good diplomatic relations with Israel, meaning the government could not openly buy them.

Israel maintains low-level relations with several states in the Middle East, especially Gulf states, that do not officially recognise it in protest against its treatment of Palestinians. It is also likely that governments and manufacturers would not want to be seen to be sending vital test kits abroad while dealing with a domestic outbreak.

The office of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a statement appearing to confirm the operation. “We are fully utilising all the state’s capabilities to assist in dealing with the coronavirus, including Mossad and other bodies,” the statement said.

“The equipment that arrived in Israel is required and essential,” it added, following reports that the kits may have been unusable.

The Israeli news website Ynet had earlier quoted the health ministry deputy director general, Itamar Grotto, as saying the kits were missing swabs, which are used to take samples from the nose or the back of the throat.

“Unfortunately, what arrived is not exactly what we were lacking … Our problem is we’re missing swabs,” he said.

Israel is currently desperately trying to increase its testing capability to track and control the spread of Covid-19. The country of about 9 million people intends to carry out 3,000 coronavirus tests daily.

Those figures may have been based on the assumption that the Mossad operation would continue. The local broadcaster Channel 12, which first reported the operation, said Mossad had intended to bring in about 4 million kits from several countries.

Israel has mobilised its extensive security apparatus to tackle the virus, including having the military run hotels to isolate people who display only light symptoms. The Tel Aviv beachfront hotel the Dan Panorama will be the first to open and be staffed by the army.

The Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency has also been involved. On Tuesday the government approved a controversial measure for the agency to track people suspected or confirmed to have been infected by monitoring their phones.

About 530 cases have been confirmed in Israel, which has taken stringent measures to contain the spread, including shutting down all schools, cafes and malls. On Wednesday evening, it barred all tourists and visitors from entering the country.