Latest news with #Mossad
India.com
an hour ago
- Politics
- India.com
She changed her religion, walked into Iran's homes...then vanished without a trace, THIS Mossad's 'deadly' female spy is behind the chaos in Iran
This is not a James Bond movie, it actually happened. A shocking story from Tehran, the capital of Iran, is now making headlines all over the world. According to reports, a female spy from Israel's intelligence agency Mossad secretly entered Iran two years ago. She then converted to Shia Islam and slowly got close to top Iranian officials and their families. Her name is Catherine Pérez Shakdam. Originally from France, she wasn't just highly trained she was also smart, beautiful, and bold. Her charm and clever planning fooled even Iran's strict security agencies. How did she get in and why no one noticed? At first, Catherine claimed she was simply curious about Islam. She converted to Shia Islam and started meeting and talking to the wives of Iranian government officials. Over time, she gained their trust and became a regular guest in their homes. She was so trusted that she even entered private areas in the homes and places where security is normally very tight. While Iranian agencies carefully checked phones and visitors, Catherine was silently taking photos and collecting secret information. She sent all of it directly to Mossad. As tensions between Iran and Israel increased, many top Iranian officials changed their locations for safety. They thought they were now secure. But every time an attack happened, it was so accurate, it felt like someone had handed over a detailed map. When Iran's own intelligence service started investigating, the truth slowly came out. Photos taken with officials helped identify Catherine. But by then, it was too late. Where is she now? No one knows. Catherine has completely disappeared. Iran's intelligence agency has spread her posters and photos across the country. But there's no sign of her, no trace, no voice. Some say she has changed her identity and is now living in another country. Today, Catherine Pérez Shakdam is being called one of the most daring spies in Israeli history. Her mission has left Iran shocked and the world stunned.
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
US intelligence believes Iran still undecided on building nuclear bomb: report
US intelligence agencies continue to assess that Iran has not yet decided to build a nuclear weapon, despite possessing enough enriched uranium to do so – according to senior officials cited by the New York Times. This assessment remains unchanged since March, even as 'Israel' steps up attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Senior officials caution that Iran may pivot toward bomb production if provoked by military action against key sites like Fordo or in the event of the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The debate over Iran's nuclear intentions has reignited amid pressure from hawkish voices in the US and 'Israel'. CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly told the White House that Iran is nearing the technical threshold for a weapon. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt echoed this, saying Iran needs only a political decision to begin building a bomb, which could take as little as two weeks. Some US officials cite 'Israeli' intelligence, particularly Mossad's estimate that Iran is just 15 days away from producing a bomb. However, others within the American intelligence community challenge that timeline, maintaining that Iran would likely need several months to a year to complete a functional weapon Officials also note that no new intelligence has been collected, only new interpretations of existing data – said the NYT report. Iran's current uranium stockpile, enriched to 60%, must reach 90% purity to become weapons-grade. Beyond that, Iran would need to assemble and potentially miniaturize a bomb for missile deployment. While Iran has the technical capacity to build such a device, US officials say there's no clear evidence it has begun doing so. Some experts believe Iran could opt for a simpler, less advanced bomb akin to the Hiroshima-era design, which would not require missile capability. Despite these assessments, concerns persist. General Michael E. Kurilla told Congress that Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb in a week, and enough for 10 bombs within three weeks. Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has warned that Iran's uranium stockpile is at an unprecedented level for a non-nuclear state.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Here in Israel, it's very clear: Iran cannot seriously damage this nation
Hezbollah was the dog that didn't bark when its Iranian masters came under attack. That's because it had been muzzled by Israel. Over decades Tehran had built up a massive arsenal of missiles in Lebanon using its number one proxy, Hezbollah. That had a specific purpose which was to deter Jerusalem from attacking Iran, and if it did, to unleash hell across the length and breadth of Israel. But Hezbollah's fighting capabilities were severely written down last year with huge numbers of missiles and launchers taken out by attacks from ground and air. And Mossad decapitated the terrorist organisation in a breathtaking wave of attacks against terrorist leaders with explosive-laden pagers. The IDF eliminated many others with precision air strikes, including the long-standing Secretary General, Hasan Nasrallah. Perhaps the ayatollahs should have paid more attention to both elements of Israel's operations against Hezbollah, because they gave a devastating foretaste of what was to come on their own territory. Now, reeling from strike after strike over the last week, its military rudderless and deprived of its primary deterrent, Tehran is having to rely exclusively on an armoury of ballistic missiles to hit back. Its fleets of drones – considered by many to be the future of warfare – have achieved nothing. Of 1,000 launched, not one impacted on Israeli territory. I have been in various parts of Israel since the start of this war and can confirm that the most widespread effect of Iran's missile campaign has been sleep deprivation, with most salvoes fired during the night and citizens repeatedly sent running to their bomb shelters. That is not to understate the tragic deaths of 24 Israeli civilians, the wounding of many others and destruction and damage to buildings, the most recent being a direct hit on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. As with all Iranian missile impacts in this war which have struck civilian population centres, firing at a hospital is a war crime. Tehran claimed that it was aiming at a nearby army base but there are no military installations within 2 kilometres. With all the patients inside shelters, fortunately there were only light casualties. That is one reason why Iran's barrages have had only limited effect so far. Israel has engineered a highly-developed alert and shelter system, and it is estimated that, had every citizen taken cover as instructed, the death toll would have been only three. There are two other reasons for Tehran's failed counteroffensive. First, a very sophisticated intelligence and surveillance system that has been able to provide up to half an hour's warning of most missile launches. Second, ground, air and sea based air defences. The US Navy and Air Force have made a significant contribution, and Israel's Arrow ballistic missile defence system has been backed up by America's Thaad and Patriot launchers based inside Israel. Then there has been the relentless air campaign against Iran's weapon stocks, launchers and production facilities which has taken out an estimated 40 per cent of launchers and many missiles. Iran has only managed to fire some 400 missiles since the war began, with at least 80-90 per cent successfully intercepted. Just 23 have hit urban areas. Tehran had by far the most powerful ballistic missile capability in the Middle East, with an arsenal of 2,000-3,000, although many of these did not have the range to reach Israel. Tehran was estimated to have the capability to produce 50 missiles per month which is not adequate to meaningfully replenish its ever-dwindling stocks. In any case, probably nothing like that number can be achieved now following Israel's attacks on production facilities. With their military strategy failing, the ayatollahs might decide to change tack, and start using some of their short-range missiles against energy facilities or US military targets in the Gulf. Iran also has anti-ship missiles capable of attacking maritime targets in the region. It has threatened to block the Straits of Hormuz to strangle global oil trade. Any of these moves would increase the chances of President Trump's direct intervention in the war, something that may be imminent in any case. Khamenei, now in a desperate situation, with his most trusted military advisers all dead and the IDF rampant in his skies, seems to fear that the most. His request for a meeting in the White House has been rejected and his foreign ministry is about to meet its appeasement-seeking European counterparts to discuss nuclear disarmament. Although that will achieve nothing, the last thing the Europeans should be doing now is to throw this tottering terrorist regime any kind of lifeline. Instead they should be joining forces with Israel, at least diplomatically, to hasten the end of Iran's war on the West, which began at the dawn of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The best outcome is not a badly wounded Khamenei who can lick his wounds and live to fight another day, as the Europeans might like, but a more enlightened Iran under new management that does not have the arrogance to provoke a militarily stronger power and believe it can prevail.
India.com
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Can missile air defense systems stop nuclear weapons? India's S-400 defence system can...
Iron Dome vs S-400 Triumf. (File) Global Air Defence systems vs Nuclear attack: In the recent few decades, India and other nations have been continuously developing missile defense systems aimed at intercepting most powerful weapons including nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. However, we all know that these systems face significant limitations like the recent terrible failure of China's HQ9 Air Defence System seen during India's ant-terror operation against Pakistan. One more question that arises is that can missile air defense systems stop nuclear weapons? Scroll down to get all your answers. Air Defence systems vs Nuclear attack! We all know that world's most powerful countries like the U.S., Russia, Israel, and India possess advanced defenses such as the THAAD, Israel's Arrow-3 and Iron Dome, and India's Akash Missile system and S-400 missile defence system receptively but can they defend a nuclear attack? As per media reports, intercepting nuclear warheads is technically challenging and expensive and even a high-performing system like the US THAAD or S-400 missile defence system has had several failures, pointing to inherent vulnerabilities and they may not succeed in stopping nuclear weapons. Iran strikes Israeli intelligence sites in Tel Aviv In a significant development in the Iran-Israel war, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) carried out strikes on 'key Israeli intelligence sites' in Tel Aviv, including military intelligence and Mossad facilities, while the Israeli Air Force said it launched a new wave of airstrikes in western Iran, as per a report by IANS news agency. The IRGC said its Aerospace Force conducted an 'effective operation' in the early hours, penetrating Israel's 'highly advanced air defence systems', according to Iranian state media. The elite force claimed the strikes specifically targeted the Israeli army's Aman headquarters and a facility used for planning 'assassination operations attributed to the Mossad'. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran killed 'a significant number' of officers and commanders in its strikes on Mossad and military intelligence centres. (With inputs from agencies)
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
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
