The extent of a covert Mossad campaign aimed at undermining the Islamic Republic of Iran through influence operations, information warfare, and efforts to sow instability inside the country has been exposed in a report published by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.
According to the report, Mossad established a specialized unit in 2021 under the direction of intelligence chief David Barnea to wage a multifaceted campaign against Iran that extended far beyond traditional espionage. The unit reportedly focused on psychological warfare, media manipulation, online influence operations, and attempts to weaken public confidence in Iranian institutions.
The revelations provide rare insight into what Iranian officials have long described as a systematic foreign effort to destabilize the country through covert means rather than direct military confrontation alone.
A senior Mossad officer identified only as "O." acknowledged that the agency increasingly relied on exposing and discrediting political figures rather than eliminating them through assassination.
"Traditionally, the Mossad knew how to get rid of people mainly through assassinations," the officer said. "But when there is a person who is harming you, exposing embarrassing details from his past often leads to an immediate response in which he is removed from the circle."
The article further reports that Mossad developed extensive networks of fake social media accounts and online influence platforms designed to spread anti-government narratives inside Iran. The operation reportedly included the use of artificial intelligence-generated personas and collaboration with online influencers to shape public opinion and amplify unrest.
Most strikingly, the report indicates that discussions of "regime change" evolved from a prohibited concept within Mossad into a central objective of the agency's activities against Iran.
"When I started, it was forbidden in the Mossad to say the two words 'regime change'," O. said.
The officer described the campaign as targeting "people's hearts, feelings and beliefs," reflecting a strategy focused on manipulating public perceptions and eroding trust in state institutions.
The report also details efforts to publicize Mossad activities inside Iran as part of a broader psychological operation. According to the officer, the release of images purportedly showing Israeli operatives on Iranian soil was intended to create the impression that Israeli intelligence had deeply penetrated Iran's security apparatus.
"Leaking the photo of agents on Iranian soil was meant to sabotage that mechanism," he said.
The revelations are likely to reinforce long-standing Iranian accusations that "Israel" has pursued a sustained campaign of covert interference, sabotage, and subversion aimed at weakening the Islamic Republic from within.
While Israeli sources quoted in the report denied initiating certain episodes of unrest, the article confirms the existence of infrastructure specifically designed to influence public opinion, exploit domestic grievances, and advance regime-change objectives.
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