Israel's secret intelligence operations in Iran: Hacked phones, deep-cover agents and covert warehouses

Last year, an
Israeli
telecoms executive working in Europe had a call from an old friend back in Tel Aviv: could he help design a phone that looked like a cheap Android but could transmit encrypted data that mimicked social media traffic?
Around the same time, a reservist working at an Israeli health start-up got a call from Unit 9900, a tiny part of the Israeli military that seeks clues in vast data sets. Could he tweak an algorithm he had worked on during his military service, so a dedicated server could sift through satellite images of fuel trucks and separate those carrying petrol from those with missile propellant?
Neither was told exactly how their efforts shaped last week's opening salvo in
Israel's aerial assault on Iran
, which stunned the country with both its depth and precision. More than a dozen security chiefs and nuclear scientists were assassinated nearly simultaneously; entire aerial defence arrays were destroyed before they could fire off a single interception; and a large number of missile launch sites were identified and destroyed.
How Israel's security services pulled off parallel operations combining the work of its military intelligence arm Aman, with the foreign spy service Mossad into such an effective assault may never fully become public. But early hints are trickling out – some from authorised leaks aiming to embarrass Iran, others from people familiar with the operations speaking to the Financial Times on the condition of anonymity.
READ MORE
They describe a sprawling, multiyear operation that leant on every possible asset from which Israeli intelligence could draw – commercial satellites, hacked phones, deep-cover agents recruited locally, covert warehouses to assemble drones and even miniaturised weapons systems fitted into everyday vehicles.
The goal, the people said, was to create a densely populated bank of targets to take out in the first hours of a military operation. One called it the Israeli version of 'shock and awe'; another said it aimed to embrace the 'audacious'.
A former Israeli official described the project as the result of 'millions of dollars and years of efforts' to address what Israel considers an existential threat. 'When you work for so many years, investing everything you have – human intelligence, open source intelligence, money – you eventually get an outcome' like this, they said.
In the run-up to the assault, Aman identified so-called centres of gravity to focus on, such as firepower hubs and the nuclear programme. It cross-referenced thousands of intelligence sources, and by March of this year, had started to populate the target bank.
In a clue as to how these targets may have been tracked, a technical team in the military was consulted last October about how it had monitored
Hassan Nasrallah
, leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group
Hizbullah
, who Israel had killed days earlier. Their sophisticated, nearly automated system had produced with near certainty his location once every 24 hours.
An Israeli air strike on Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/ New York Times
The aftermath of an Israeli air strike on Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/ New York Times
Israel's assault on Iran has yet to achieve its grand strategic goal – the destruction of the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes – or its additional aim of weakening the regime to the point of collapse. But its first hours last week underlined the ambitious and comprehensive list of targets that Israeli intelligence operatives keep constantly updated.
The opening shots of the campaign focused on at least four types of targets within a few minutes: military officials high in the chain of command; aerial defences around the most strategic sites; parts of two major nuclear installations; and missile launch sites in western Iran that had been identified as immediate response threats. In this way, Israel could take advantage of the surprise factor.
'The initial attack, the opening strike, was the beginning of the campaign. We're not done yet,' said Miri Eisin, a former senior intelligence officer. 'To be able to target 15 different people at the same time – now that's not easy – and since you've taken out the decision makers, you're delaying their response to buy more time.'
The Israeli success has sowed at least some panic within Iran's security establishment, which has been repeatedly embarrassed in the past by Mossad. The spy agency's headquarters on the northern outskirts of Tel Aviv has been a repeated target of Iranian ballistic missiles.
A former senior commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards this week urged people to check their roofs for micro drones, claiming Iranian opposition groups had been paid to smuggle them into major cities. Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan urged spies for Israel to turn themselves in to receive 'Islamic clemency'.
[
Without an exit strategy, Israel risks bringing destruction to its doorstep in a war of attrition against Iran
Opens in new window
]
Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported warnings that mobile phones were being used not just for surveillance but also for assassination.
'The most important decision must be this: all mobile phones belonging to commanders, senior officials, nuclear scientists – and even their families – should be put aside,' said hardline MP Hamid Rasaee.
An oil storage facility on fire after Israeli air strikes on Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Arash Khamooshi/New York Times
But such measures would be unlikely to make a difference at this point, said people familiar with Israel's operations inside Iran. The telecoms executive declined to discuss whether his software was eventually deployed in Iran, but bragged that many hundreds of people were often using it simultaneously around the world.
Israel is now hunting the remnants of Iran's aerial defences and has nearly complete aerial superiority. It lost what appeared to be a Hermes 900 surveillance drone to an Iranian missile but has had no other publicly acknowledged losses of military hardware. Its air force has been left free to attack anywhere in Iran at will.
Iranian intelligence operations inside Israel pale in comparison. A handful of Israeli citizens have been arrested and prosecuted for collecting information for Iran, while Iranian hackers appear to have broken into the mobile phone of a family member of David Barnea, the Mossad chief, in recent years, with Iran publicly taking credit for the breach.
Its counter-intelligence teams have arrested several people and accused them of working for Israel, and recently executed one. But not a single Israeli is known to have been captured, hinting at a large-scale recruitment of local operatives – either unwittingly or for cash – or people opposed to the regime in Tehran.
In comparison, Mossad has repeatedly carried out daring assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, including one in 2020 apparently carried out by a remotely operated machine gun mounted on a truck that self-destructed.
Iranian media reported that thousands had fled Tehran as Iran and Israel launched new waves of missile strikes at each other. Video: Reuters
It has spirited away thousands of documents from Iran's nuclear archive for prime minister
Binyamin Netanyahu
to show off on live television and assassinated a senior
Hamas
leader in an Iranian government guest house last year as he visited for president Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration.
Adding to its mystique, for the first time in its history, Mossad released footage it said showed its commandos working inside Iran, launching attack drones and guided missiles that took out Iranian air defences and missiles.
'From an intelligence perspective, [the entire campaign] is as impressive a feat as we've seen in modern warfare – complete intelligence domination and penetration, on an unprecedented scale in recent memory,' said a former US defence official.
'I can't think of a conflict where one party so thoroughly understood the contingency plans of its enemy and the movement of its leadership.'
Israel's success against Hizbullah, in a similar surprise campaign last year, and now in the early days of full-scale conflict with Iran, contrasts with its failure to predict or prevent the October 7th, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group it had clearly underestimated.
[
Iran enters near total internet blackout as Trump remains cryptic over potential US strikes
Opens in new window
]
Its latest achievements showed the capabilities of Israeli intelligence and military units when they were directed and well-resourced, said Eisin.
'The Islamic regime of Iran has been the top priority of Netanyahu and the entire security community. You are investing your capabilities of your entire security and intelligence community in finding out this information and then acting upon it.'
But, she added: 'That makes me worry about the hubris that comes with this kind of success.' – Copyright the Financial Times Limited 2025
'A war that's been planned for a decade' - why Israel has attacked Iran and what happens next
Listen |
21:11

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Irish Daily Star

34 minutes ago

• Irish Daily Star

'Demented' Trump slammed for 'cruel' joke as he warns White House worker's lives 'will be destroyed'

Donald Trump took his crackdown on illegal immigration to a new level as he targeted construction workers at the White House with a 'cruel' joke by quizzing them about their status Donald Trump has been branded "ignorant" and "deranged" for making a cruel joke about the immigration status of his own White House construction workers before warning them their lives could be "destroyed". ‌ As the world awaited the president's decision on whether the US would intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict on Wednesday, Trump stepped out onto the White House lawn to tout the installation of new flag poles. Trump used the opportunity to begin talking about his mass deportation efforts. "We're taking them out by the thousands. Murderers, drug dealers, people that are mentally insane, from insane asylums," Trump began. His comments come as undocumented people could be deported to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in Trump's intensified war on illegal immigrants. READ MORE: Donald Trump dementia fears spike after 'symptom' spotted in President's suit The president then turned around toward a row of hard-hat-wearing construction workers he'd asked to stand behind him. "Do we have anybody here who's a member of -- no, I don't think so. You've known these people for a long time?" he asked. "Any illegal immigrants?" The construction workers, who helped erect two 88-foot-tall flagpoles, one on the North Lawn and one on the South Lawn, at Trump's direction, shook their heads. ‌ "If there were, we'll find out," Trump continued. "Your whole life will be destroyed because of this press conference. They'll destroy these people. I didn't want to tell them that before they stood up," Trump said. "Don't worry, I think you're gonna be OK," he told the workers. The president received swift backlash for the comments on social media as Americans were left stunned. ‌ One incredulous person wrote on X: "He said this…to the people…putting up his flagpoles?!?" A second responded: "Cruelty is fun for him." "He. Is. Insane," another said. One claimed the cruel joke indicated a cognitive decline. "He's a cruel, demented man. Some people with dementia become very mean-spirited," they wrote. Another agreed, adding: "He is deranged and consumed with cruelty." Some said the workers should have put down their gear and left after the insulting remarks. On Tuesday, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the flagpoles were a gift from him to the White House. He wrote: "It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place." The president continued: "These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!"

Irish Times

2 hours ago

• Irish Times

Israel-Iran war: Gulf states scramble to secure diplomatic solution

Arab Gulf states have engaged on multiple diplomatic fronts to end the Israel-Iran war and return to regional stability as tensions rise. Unanimous Gulf condemnation of Israel's attack on Iran has presaged a battle for self-preservation. The war could destroy decades of economic advancement achieved by the Gulf countries and destabilise the region. Having cultivated relations with Iran for years, the six Gulf Co-operation Council states – the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , Oman, Bahrain , Qatar and Kuwait – are campaigning for an end to hostilities. They fear US intervention on Israel's side could prompt Iran to retaliate by striking US military bases in the Gulf, dangerously widening the conflict. An Emirati analyst who has close ties to his government said the Gulf leaders 'may not support US intervention [by] allowing airspace access or the use of bases, but they can't prevent it'. Iran could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil flows, while Israel could bomb Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, located on the Gulf coast, which would release land, sea and air pollution. READ MORE Due to its ties to both Iran and Israel, the Emirates has taken the lead. President Mohammed bin Zayed told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that the Emirates has been engaged in 'intensive consultations with all concerned parties' to de-escalate the crisis. Bin Zayed has also contacted Russian president Vladimir Putin , who in turn has spoken to Pezeshkian, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US president Donald Trump with the same objective. Oman has been incensed over Israel's attack, which disrupted talks the sultanate had mediated between the US and Iran on limiting Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The cancelled sixth round of talks was to take place last Sunday, 48 hours after Israel began bombing Iran. Tehran has said Iran will resume the talks once there is a ceasefire. Having restored diplomatic ties with Iran in 2023 after six years of estrangement, Saudi Arabia has engaged with Tehran and Washington since 'day one', according to Saudi analyst Ali Shihabi. The best outcome would be a deal between Iran and the US, he said. Crown prince and de facto Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman has discussed the situation with the Iranian and Emirati presidents. The prince fears war could disrupt his 2030 plan to develop the kingdom's economy and reduce its dependence on volatile oil revenues. [ Israel-Iran latest: Israeli minister says Khamenei 'can no longer be allowed to exist' after hospital strike Opens in new window ] Qatar – which has mediated between Hamas and Israel – has been 'engaging daily' with the US, its foreign ministry spokesman said. Kuwait could be the Gulf country to suffer most from a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz as 90 per cent of its exports pass through the waterway. Its government fears spillover from the Israel-Iran war could extend far beyond the Gulf region.

Irish Times

4 hours ago

• Irish Times

Europe should stop whining and ‘act like the superpower' it is, former US general warns

Europe should 'quit whining' about the threats it faces and 'act like the superpower' that it is, according to a former senior US army officer. Ben Hodges , a retired lieutenant general who led US forces in Europe from 2014 to 2017, also said European Nato members including Germany should prepare for future Russian air strikes on their air and sea ports. Mr Hodges, who was addressing a gathering of foreign affairs experts in London on Thursday, said the missile defences of European countries in the US-led Nato alliance are 'completely inadequate' to protect transport infrastructure. He told the event, hosted by the Chatham House think tank, that Germany could in the years ahead face the same sort of air strikes Ukraine has endured since the Russian invasion in 2022. READ MORE Mr Hodges told the conference that European Nato states should focus on preparing their citizens for the possibility of war with Russia. 'There is a threat. Explain it to your population like adults.' In the event that the US pulls back from defending Europe under Donald Trump , Mr Hodges said he felt the continent 'of course has the capability of defending itself'. But he also suggested European states lack the political will to do so. Europe needed the 'self confidence' to be more assertive in the face of Russian threats, he said. A 'true deterrence' of Russia would require it to be convinced that European societies, at every level, were prepared and willing to deal with military action against president Vladimir Putin's nation. [ Ireland must stop 'free-riding' on security 'gifted by others', says former Chief of Staff Opens in new window ] A journalist from LBC radio station asked for the retired lieutenant general's response to the assertion that the British public does not take seriously gloomy threats of the potential for war with Russia. The broadcaster suggested this was because people were cynical after being duped into believing Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in 2003, which was used as a pretext for war but turned out to be untrue. [ Britain to move closer to 'warfighting readiness' as review calls for defence overhaul Opens in new window ] Mr Hodges said it was a 'fair question' and recalled his own experiences looking in 'bunkers with flashlights for WMDs in Iraq' and finding to his surprise that none existed. He said Russia had yet to feel enough pushback from Europe and also the US over its war against Ukraine . He suggested Russia's oil and gas infrastructure should be put under 'pressure' and said Mr Putin had, in effect, already 'attacked' Nato states by, for example, launching air incursions over Estonia. A conference attendee challenged Mr Hodges by suggesting that diplomacy with Russia might achieve better results than war posturing, but he replied that Russia could not be trusted to uphold any diplomatic agreement and hard pressure was the only way to keep Mr Putin in check.