Ex-Mossad Chief Explains Iranian Agent Video Release Strategy
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Former Mossad chief David Barnea stated that releasing footage of Israeli agents in Iran during the June 2025 "People as a Lion" operation was a tactic to protect them. He explained the strategy aimed to cause mass arrests, making it difficult for Iran to identify real agents. Barnea claimed 21,000 people were arrested, leading to the release of genuine operatives along with others. He also asserted that most agents remained undetected and some executed individuals were innocent.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former Mossad chief David Barnea said releasing agent footage protected operatives in Iran.
- The strategy aimed to cause mass arrests, hindering Iran's ability to identify real agents.
- Barnea claimed 21,000 people were arrested in Iran during the operation.
- He stated that most Mossad agents in Iran were never exposed.
- Barnea alleged some individuals executed in Iran for spying were innocent.
Former Mossad chief David Barnea revealed that the release of footage showing Israeli agents operating in Iran during the "People as a Lion" operation in June 2025 was intended to protect those agents. Speaking at the Priority Summit on October 22, Barnea stated that Mossad leadership anticipated the video, bearing the agency's official logo, would lead to mass arrests in Iran, thereby complicating the identification of genuine Israeli operatives. "We wanted to achieve a situation where so many people were arrested in Iran that they couldn't separate the wheat from the chaff and would eventually release everyone. Incidentally, that's exactly what happened," Barnea said. He claimed that Iranian authorities detained 21,000 individuals on the second day of the conflict. Barnea asserted that even if real agents were among those arrested, Iranian intelligence services were forced to release them along with the other suspects. He further stated that 99.9% of Mossad agents were never exposed, with many participants in the operation continuing to reside in Tehran. In August 2025, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian police representative, that 21,000 suspects were detained over the entire 12-day war, not just one day, though the number subsequently released was not specified. Barnea also claimed that some individuals executed in Iran on charges of collaborating with Mossad had never actually worked for Israeli intelligence. He personally approved dozens of agents sent to Iran weeks before the military operation began.
