Mossad Chief Returns From US, to Brief Israeli Cabinet on Iran

Mossad Chief Roman Gofman returned to Israel on Sunday afternoon following a special visit to the United States. During his trip, Gofman updated senior U.S. administration officials and the CIA director on Israel's latest intelligence regarding Iran. He is expected to brief the Israeli cabinet on Sunday evening and later hold a personal briefing with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The political-security cabinet's meeting comes more than a month after its last session on October 4, during the election period. At that time, the cabinet's last decision was to increase readiness for various scenarios involving Iran, including potential Israeli strikes or Iranian surprise attacks.

Reports indicate that Gofman's visit to Washington involved discussions with U.S. officials about the possibility of renewing operations against Iran. These reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter, suggest Gofman was dispatched by Netanyahu, who has been urging President Donald Trump to take action against the Iranian regime.

Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of Yesh Atid, who received the mandate to form a government from President Isaac Herzog, was not informed of Gofman's trip. This occurred despite a security briefing he received from Netanyahu. Prior to that briefing, Eisenkot sent a formal letter to Netanyahu, urging "restraint and caution" and warning that "the deployment of security forces without a direct and immediate threat that cannot be postponed could lead to devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and public trust in government institutions."

Discussions between Netanyahu and security chiefs about potential actions against Iran, which could provoke a severe Iranian response, have been ongoing. Earlier reports suggested that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had opposed such actions during the sensitive pre-election period.