Leaked remarks attributed to former Mossad chief say agency released Iran-operation videos to spur arrests and shield covert agents

Leaked comments attributed to former Mossad director David Barnea say the agency deliberately released real-time footage of covert operations inside Iran during the June 2025 military confrontation to trigger mass arrests and overwhelm Iranian security forces. The Jerusalem Post published the comments, and Yedioth Ahronoth verified video footage from Barnea’s closed-door address at the Priority Summit.

Barnea said Mossad sought sweeping detentions so Iranian counterintelligence “wouldn't be able to distinguish the wheat from the chaff.” He also said a vast majority of those detained by Iranian authorities on espionage charges had no operational connection to Mossad.

The account characterized the strategy as an effort by Israel to create systemic panic in Iran, exposing ordinary Iranian citizens to possible detention in order to protect intelligence assets working covertly inside the country.