For over two decades, Iran’s nuclear program has been one of Israel’s top security concerns. In response, the Mossad became a decisive force in disrupting Tehran’s progress, adopting a doctrine of “preemptive prevention” rather than simple deterrence.
Over the years, Israel used a wide range of covert operations: assassinating nuclear scientists, cyberattacks, theft of secret documents, and recruitment of local agents inside Iran. During the June war with Tehran, these capabilities shifted into direct military action, with Mossad intelligence enabling highly accurate strikes.
According to Israeli sources, Mossad agents identified the bedrooms of key Iranian nuclear scientists and senior commanders, allowing the air force to eliminate them with precision. Among the dead were Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of Islamic Azad University, and Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
Dan Raviv, an American investigative journalist and host of Mossad Files, explained that before the war Mossad mapped out the daily habits and locations of 11 nuclear scientists, even charting their homes. He noted that Mossad has built a network of “local agents” — mostly Iranians and others — recruited with money or opposition to the regime. Raviv calls them a “foreign legion,” run remotely by Mossad abroad, which reduces the need to send Israelis inside Iran.