YONI BEN MENACHEM -- The recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran, following 12 days of unprecedented conflict, is not seen in Tehran as the end of a military round, but rather as the start of a deeper, covert war.
Senior Israeli defense officials report growing concern within Iran's security establishment and pro-regime media that Israel is now aiming to destabilize the Islamic Republic from within. This strategy relies less on open military confrontation and more on intelligence operations, assassinations, economic pressure, and internal disruption.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy commander Gen. Alireza Tangsiri warned on June 25: “The war isn’t over. The enemy seeks to open a front within our own borders […] Israel and the U.S. are trying to shake the Iranian nation through espionage networks, psychological warfare, and targeted sanctions.”
During the conflict, Israel achieved several high-profile successes inside Iran, including the destruction of air defense systems, precision strikes on nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan—with American support—and the assassination of senior security and scientific figures. However, Iranian internal analysis suggests the real damage was psychological: exposing Israel’s deep infiltration and breaking the regime’s sense of control.