Israel has launched sweeping airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites—an assault powered by months, if not years, of covert Mossad operations deep within Iranian territory.
The scale and precision of the attack stunned global observers and revealed just how deeply Israel’s spy agency has infiltrated its regional archrival.
According to Israeli officials, the groundwork for Friday’s strikes was laid by Mossad agents who smuggled weapons into Iran, established secret drone bases near Tehran, and deployed precision-guided systems targeting Iran’s defense infrastructure.
When the Israeli Air Force struck with more than 200 aircraft, it did so under the protective veil of internal sabotage and dismantled air defense systems.
Newly released footage from Mossad—an unprecedented move in itself—shows drones taking out unsuspecting missile launchers. The videos, shared with CNN, highlight Israel’s capability to quietly dismantle Iranian defenses from within and target senior military figures with pinpoint accuracy.
Sources say the Mossad operation included teams of commandos operating covertly in Tehran and other cities. Their mission: to locate, disable, or destroy air defense missile sites, ballistic missile launchers, and radar systems. The teams used smuggled high-tech weapons mounted on vehicles and deployed drones from secret hangars hidden in civilian areas.
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The strikes represent a significant escalation in the long-running covert war between the two nations. Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, described Iran as a “playground” for the Mossad, noting the agency’s track record of successful assassinations and sabotage.
Indeed, this operation is the latest in a series of high-profile actions by Israel’s intelligence services. From 2007 to 2012, Mossad allegedly carried out five assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, mostly in Tehran. In 2020, they killed top physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh using a remote-controlled weapon in a high-security convoy.
More recently, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in a Tehran guesthouse, reportedly with a bomb hidden for two months before detonation.
In 2018, Israel stunned the world when it revealed that Mossad operatives had stolen Iran’s entire nuclear archive from a warehouse in Tehran, publicly displaying documents and hard drives to world media—a moment that shaped the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
Despite the embarrassment and strategic losses, Iran has consistently failed to prevent Israeli infiltration. Intelligence experts say internal dissatisfaction with Iran’s leadership, coupled with Mossad’s operational sophistication, makes Tehran vulnerable.
With this latest operation, Israel has not only struck military assets but has sent a clear message: Iran is vulnerable at its core. As Israel ramps up its campaign against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the world is now watching how Tehran—shocked, exposed, and under pressure—will respond.
CNN
