Israel targeted Iranian nuke programme, says former Mossad chief

The Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency created along with the modern state of Israel, has an enduring mystique.

When we think of the Mossad, images are conjured up of daring operations like the kidnapping of Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann or Wrath of G-d (in retaliation for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the 50th anniversary of which was commemorated this week).

People around the world are intrigued by Israel’s external covert force and its ability to reach far beyond Israel’s borders as it endeavours to protect the Jewish state against any threats.

The Mossad’s ability to neutralise threats in far-flung places was confirmed last week by Yossi Cohen, the organisation’s former director, who addressed participants at the gathering in Basel, Switzerland, celebrating 125 years of Zionism.

It was only fitting that when discussing the challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people, the number-one global threat, the possibility of a nuclear Iran, was high on the agenda.

Speaking to a packed audience in English, Cohen dedicated the bulk of his address to Mossad’s covert operations.

“During my term as Mossad director, countless operations were conducted against Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said. “Without going into too many details, I can tell you the Mossad had many successes. We operated around the world and on Iranian soil itself, in the very heartland of the ayatollahs.”

Many are familiar with what was probably the most daring – and dangerous – operation, infiltrating Iranian territory and bringing the country’s nuclear files back to Israel. Cohen said this was proof that Iran, which steadfastly claimed that its nuclear programme was for energy purposes only, had lied.

He also addressed the ongoing nuclear talks, saying that Israel “will continue to do whatever needs to be done” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms if a deal is signed. “We can never allow a regime that calls for our destruction to get its finger on the nuclear trigger,” Cohen said.

Israeli officials including Defence Minister Benny Gantz, current Mossad Chief David Barnea, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and others in the security establishment have all embarked on a campaign to drive home this very point.

Cohen also alluded to Iran’s proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, which are situated on Israel’s borders in the south and north respectively.

“Iran seeks to encircle Israel, from Gaza in the south to Lebanon and Syria in the north. It funds, trains, and arms terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, enabling them to shoot thousands of rockets at Israel’s civilian population,” he said. “This fanatical regime must never obtain the ability to accelerate its weapon of mass destruction that would be used against the Jewish state.”

In the past week, Syria is reported to have told Iran not to launch attacks on Israel from Syrian territory as it doesn’t want to be embroiled in a war between the two countries. Israel regularly strikes Iranian targets which use Syria as a base to launch attacks on the Jewish state.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Cohen touched on the vital role Mossad has played not only in operations to protect the state, but those that benefit the region as a whole. He spoke about the role it played in helping to secure the Abraham Accords, the agreements that have brought normalisation between Israel and Morocco, Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

“The work of Mossad isn’t just intelligence gathering but also the promotion of peace. We saw these results in the signing of the Abraham Accords. I pray that more nations from our region will join the peace trend,” Cohen said.

The audience responded to Cohen’s address with a standing ovation.

Israel is the fruition on the Zionist dream, whose seeds were planted at the first gathering in Basel 125 years ago, and whose future is ensured by organisations like the Mossad whose covert and overt operations guarantee that its borders and civilians are kept safe, all while diligently pursuing peace.