Israel's Secret Effort to Back Ahmadinejad as Iran's Post-Regime Leader Fails

Israel conducted a covert operation over several years aiming to cultivate former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset and potential leader of Iran after a regime change. According to a detailed New York Times report published on July 13, 2026, the operation involved secret meetings, funding for travel and accommodation, and a plan to extract Ahmadinejad from Tehran during the ongoing conflict with Iran. Ultimately, the plan did not succeed.

Four senior Iranian officials told the New York Times that Ahmadinejad was arrested and is currently under house arrest by the intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after his ties to Israel were uncovered. He was last seen publicly at the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, appearing unwell and surrounded by security.

The relationship reportedly began in 2024 when Ahmadinejad was invited to a climate change conference at Ludovika University in Budapest. The university president revealed the invitation was arranged by a Hungarian government official to facilitate secret meetings between Ahmadinejad and Israeli intelligence operatives. Former Mossad chief David Barnea personally met Ahmadinejad in Budapest that year and later informed the CIA of the contact.

Despite Ahmadinejad’s past as a hardline president from 2005 to 2013, marked by accelerating Iran’s nuclear program, calls for Israel’s destruction, and Holocaust denial, he softened his rhetoric after leaving office. He criticized Iran’s security forces and corruption, adopted a more moderate public image, and even spoke in English at the Budapest conference. However, many in Iran viewed this as a bid to regain political influence, with Ahmadinejad reportedly aspiring to return to power with foreign backing.

Israeli intelligence closely monitored the growing rift between Ahmadinejad and Iran’s ruling establishment, especially after he was barred from running for president again. His security detail from the IRGC’s Ansar unit reported he twice slipped away during foreign trips for extended meetings, which he claimed were with university professors. In early 2026, as the war escalated, Israel launched a plan to extract him from Tehran following an Israeli strike on his location. Ahmadinejad was reportedly moved to a safe house by Mossad agents but later left under unclear circumstances.

Currently, Ahmadinejad remains under house arrest by the IRGC’s intelligence after his contacts with Israel were exposed. The operation highlights an unusual Israeli attempt to influence Iran’s future leadership by backing a former adversary turned potential moderate figure.