Iran and Israel: A silent and persistent war

Part One

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s system is quite interesting: it prioritizes mechanisms of governance over individuals—when in any situation (e.g. individuals are eliminated or neutralized by the enemies of the country) individuals are replaced, and new ones take over, with professionalism, knowledge, and determination no less than the previous ones. Unlike individualistic systems, in Iran, all political and other social systems have worthy replacements for individuals. 

For example, around a dozen thousand people work on Iran’s nuclear program, and it is impossible to neutralize or eliminate all of them because the program is not just a physical building but exists in the minds of scientists. Even if Israel succeeds in eliminating Ayatollah Khamenei, the 80-member Spiritual Council can select a new leader, and the system will not be disrupted. Iran’s political system is centralized; its information and operational strategies are unified, which allows it to resist and develop. 

In summary, Iran’s strength lies in its systemic structure. The sacrifice of one or two proxy forces is not a problem because Iran has historically been an empire that knows how, when, whom, and under what conditions to sacrifice—always for the preservation of its territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

Israel’s intelligence and security agencies have been professional since the founding of the state. They focus heavily on creating robust spy networks in enemy countries to gather necessary information. Throughout the century of the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially in the past 70 years, Mossad, Israel’s external intelligence service, has eliminated hundreds of prominent figures across politics, economics, security, intelligence, and science in countries such as Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, and Iran. While Mossad’s operations—such as assassinations and covert actions—are often not officially confirmed, history has recorded several notable cases attributed to Mossad. Here are some high-profile incidents:

1. Iran: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: The chief scientist of Iran’s nuclear program, who was killed by Israel with a remote-controlled weapon in 2020. In general, from 2010 to 2012, other prominent scientists of Iran’s nuclear program — Masoud Ali Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Dariush Rezainejad, Mostafa Ahmadi Rosha — were killed by magnetic bombs, in motorcycle explosions, or armed attacks.

2. Arab Countries: Hassan Salameh, the leader of the Palestinian Black September Organization  responsible for numerous anti-Israel actions in the 1970s—including airplane hijackings and the assassination of Mossad agents—was eliminated in 1979 in Beirut by a car bomb.  

Another example is Abu Youssef al-Najjar, who was part of the group responsible for the assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. He was killed by Mossad. The military leader of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh, was assassinated by Mossad in Damascus in 2008, again in a car bombing.

Over the years, more than 50 leaders of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party affiliated with Hamas have been killed in different countries and through various technological means.   

However, the myths about the invulnerability and cutting-edge capabilities of Israeli intelligence services are, to put it mildly, mythologized. The world is evolving, and all nations now have the capacity to surpass their enemies. That said, Israeli intelligence networks are not invulnerable and have been repeatedly compromised, seriously leading to the exposure of agents and even diplomatic crises. Let’s turn to the facts again:

1. Lillehammer affair (Norway, 1973): Mossad agents mistakenly killed a Moroccan waiter, mistakenly thinking he was Ali Hassan Salameh, the mastermind of the Munich terror attack. As a result, Norway arrested and sentenced several Mossad operatives, damaging diplomatic relations with Israel and temporarily halting Mossad’s assassination program.
2. Dubai Scandal (2010):  This time the target was Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh. About 26 Mossad agents carried out an assassination attempt in Dubai, but Dubai police released video footage, fake passports (Australian, British, French) and the names of the agents were revealed. The result was a diplomatic crisis between Australia, Britain and Israel. Once again, Mossad operations were temporarily suspended.
3. Discoveries and Arrests in Iran (2010–2022):  Iran has periodically announced uncovering Mossad networks within its territory. In 2022, over ten Mossad agents were arrested on charges of sabotage and terrorism plans, with people arrested, and communication devices and explosives seized.
4. Failed Operations in the EU: Mossad activities have occasionally been uncovered by local police in Germany, Switzerland, and other countries. In 1998, two agents were arrested in Switzerland during attempted wiretapping.

The conclusion is that Mossad has been undermined, especially when it has operated in Western democratic countries, where intelligence and legal systems have been able to uncover its activities. Unlike other agencies, Mossad operates at high risk, but it has adapted and reorganized its networks very quickly. It should also be emphasized that Tehran, for its part, has been able to infiltrate or target Israeli intelligence services to some extent, but according to known data, these infiltrations have been limited.

At the same time, we cannot help but reflect on the following facts.

1. Hezbollah’s Counter-Intelligence Successes (2000–2010):  Operating in Lebanon with Iranian support, Hezbollah began methodically hunting down Israeli agents in the 2000s, leading to the discovery of several Lebanese who had worked with Mossad. Hezbollah was able to use communications technology to identify Israeli agents.
2. Counterintelligence efforts in Iran to expose Mossad networks: In 2022, Iranian state media published materials showing conversations between Mossad agents for “espionage purposes.”
3. Hacking War – Cyber ​​Infiltration Attempts: Iranian groups, such as APT35 (Charming Kitten), Black Shadow, have regularly attempted to target Israeli military, government, and intelligence infrastructure. For example, in 2020 and 2021, several Israeli companies were hacked, resulting in the leakage of sensitive data (e.g., email addresses, personal information from insurance systems). Israel’s cyber defense, with the support of the Shabak, has prevented several major infiltrations.
4. Psychological Warfare: false information and publications: Iran also actively uses the media and social networks to dispel the idea that Mossad is invulnerable. To this end, Iranian propaganda sometimes tries to publish data or recordings of former Mossad agents.

To summarize,  Iran’s successes include partial infiltration into Mossad, counter-intelligence operations within Iran and Lebanon, cyberattacks, and propaganda campaigns.