BBC: The Triumph Of Mossad.
- 20.06.2025, 20:30
What role did Israel's famed intelligence play in preparing a strike on Iran.
Judging from information from various sources that has emerged since Israel began strikes on Iran, it can be concluded that the operation did not begin with the takeoff of Israeli bombers on the night of June 13, but much earlier - with extensive intelligence gathering on Iranian territory, BBC reported.
Iranian authorities and security forces had previously speculated that Israeli infiltration into Iranian territory was more than possible, but the scope of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and its role in the events of the past week exceed any expectations.
Israel rarely comments on the activities of its intelligence services, and it is clear that different levels of intelligence were involved in planning the attack on Iran, but Mossad appears to have played a key role in targeting and in providing overall direction for the operation on Iranian territory.
Multiple media reports citing unofficial sources, as well as comments by some Israeli officials, indicate that the precise and simultaneous attacks on defense systems, missile depots, command centers, and pinpoint assassinations deep inside Iranian territory were the result of covert operations that have long been underway on Iranian territory.
The Israeli strikes inflicted heavy damage not only on military and nuclear facilities, but also exposed the limited capabilities of Iranian intelligence on its own soil, causing confusion The entire Iranian top brass has been literally banned from using any equipment connected to the network - phones, laptops, smart watches and others.
The warning has also affected the rest of the population, which has been urged to minimize the use of any gadgets. All of this is not just a precautionary measure, but a sign of how deep into Iranian spheres Israeli intelligence services have penetrated and how scared Iranian intelligence is of its own vulnerability.
Weapons smuggling and Mossad bases in Iran
Israeli and Western media reports on the extent of Mossad activities inside Iran, if true, indicate that Israel has not only obtained top-secret information, but has succeeded in building an infrastructure for the production and deployment of offensive weapons on Iranian soil.
This activity, which was reportedly carried out over a long period of time using a network of local agents, commercial cover, logistical schemes and modern technology, was the key to the successful attacks of recent days.
An analytical report by the specialized military publication Warzone, as well as other news sources, claims that Israel managed to gradually smuggle drone and missile parts into Iran using sophisticated smuggling methods, including cargo transported by truck through Iraq, commercial shipments, and simply in passengers' luggage.
The smuggled components included electronic fuses, advanced electro-optical cameras, lithium batteries, lightweight motors, GPS guidance systems, and secure telecoms A special kind of 3D printer, often used to print drone parts, was also found there.
On June 16, Iran's National Security Command spokesman Said Montazer al-Mahdi reported that two Mossad agents had been arrested in two separate operations in the city of Rey, with "more than 200 kilograms of explosives, equipment for 23 drones, launchers, guidance and control devices, and a Nissan car" discovered and seized.
In Isfahan, where an important Iranian nuclear facility is located, the deputy provincial police chief announced the discovery of a workshop holding "a large number of parts and equipment used in the production of drones and micro-aircraft" and reported the arrest of four people.
A large part of the assembly work was reportedly carried out using 3D printing technology and in-house resources to minimize the smuggling of parts and make it difficult for Iranian security and intelligence agencies to trace the chain of command In the past, Iranian security officials have repeatedly accused individuals of spying for Israel.
In one of the most famous cases, those accused of involvement in the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists were released after years of arrest. The Iranian side had to admit that they had been proven innocent.
Smart Remote Controlled Weapons
Iranian and foreign media alike have reported that one of the key components of Israel's success has been the deployment of accurate, lightweight and remotely controlled missile systems on Iranian territory. This allowed missiles to be launched directly from Iranian territory without the physical presence of an operator. This is a major leap in operational capability and a challenge to classic air defense systems.
The images published by Iranian media show the remains of a Spike precision guided anti-tank missile produced by the Israeli company Rafael. According to Iranian sources, the systems were remotely activated and used in the initial phase of the Israeli operation.
The English-language international television channel Press TV said in its Telegram channel on Monday: "Iranian intelligence services have discovered Spike missile launchers designed to suppress Iranian air defense systems. The launchers were equipped with automated internet systems and remote control." The channel said the systems were operated by Mossad agents.
Photographs show that the Spike launchers were not placed on vehicles or drones, but on staffed ground installations camouflaged in the terrain. They were equipped with electro-optical guidance systems, advanced cameras and satellite antennas, allowing commands to be received from a distance.
Spike missiles, with a range of more than 25 kilometers, allow firing from behind cover and are dynamically corrected in flight. The operator can receive a live image of the target after the missile is launched and make a real-time decision to change the target.
Israel's experience in using remotely piloted weapons inside Iran already has precedents. In November 2020, Iranian authorities reported that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a key figure in Iran's nuclear program, was killed using such a weapon mounted on a pickup truck, with no operator physically present.
Coordinated attacks and air defense blinding
One of the goals of the Israeli operation was to neutralize Iran's air defense system before the main wave of air and missile attacks began. To do so, it was necessary to launch synchronized strikes. The strategy involved the simultaneous use of small kamikaze drones, Iranian-deployed guided missiles, and electronic warfare. The aim of this approach was to blind radar systems, destroy air defense launchers and create safe corridors for subsequent Israeli operations.
According to specialized military websites, groups of drones and light quad-engine drones, presumably pre-positioned near Tehran, Shahr-e Rey, Islamsehra and Saveh, were activated simultaneously in the first hours of the operation. They were directed toward Iran's ground-based air defense systems.
Radar systems were also targeted. Communication between air defense units and the command center was reportedly disrupted in some areas due to damaged antennas or destroyed fiber optic communication lines.
Israeli media reported on the first day of the attacks, citing a security source, that Mossad special forces infiltrated Iranian territory and placed precision guided missiles near Iranian air defense systems.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that these combined attacks were aimed not only at blinding the air defenses, but also at destroying Iran's launching missile capability. Thus, it appears that Israel did not launch the first strike with fighter jets, but with assets covertly deployed on Iranian territory.
Israel does not generally provide information about its intelligence and sabotage operations in other countries, nor does it confirm or deny media reports. However, in recent years, some senior representatives of the country have acknowledged the involvement of Israeli intelligence services in a number of operations against Iran.
Killing key military commanders
Another target was key figures in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command and the army. In this way, Israel sought to paralyze the military decision-making system: to destroy the command structure, disrupt the chain of command, and weaken the coordination of Iran's military response. To this end, the Mossad and its auxiliary operational units used field intelligence and smart weapons.
Some of the strikes in the first hours of the operation targeted not bases or rocket launchers, but the residences and offices of senior military commanders. According to media reports, these attacks included Spike missiles launched from Iran. Because of their instant-guidance capability, such missiles can accurately strike individual live targets inside buildings.
The evidence indicates that Israel's intelligence capabilities in assassinating commanders were not limited to the preparatory phase prior to the attack. On the third day from the start of the conflict, targeted strikes were carried out against Mohammad Kazemi, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence organization, and his deputies. Ali Shadmani, appointed Friday as deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya (slain) Central Headquarters, was also killed in the strike four days later.
The Hudson Institute, an American security and defense think tank, concluded in its report that the Israeli intelligence and operational penetration was the result of "years of continuous training, superiority in intelligence gathering, real-time surveillance and reconnaissance, and deep operational infiltration."
The author of the Hudson report notes: "Israeli strategists, by disabling Iran's command and control systems, interrupting high-level communications, and sowing uncertainty [among those involved] in decision-making processes, managed to deal a massive blow to the country's entire defense structure."