Bloodstained Footprints of Mossad Operations: 5 Silent Actions That Shook the World

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The name Mossad has again come under global scrutiny after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the attack by Israel and the United States on Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026. Intelligence gathered jointly with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is said to have been the key to the Israeli air strike that hit the leadership complex in Tehran. The operation shows how Mossad works in silence to track secret meetings, time the attack, and ensure the target is at the location. This role reminds the world of Mossad’s long history of secret operations over decades, known for audacity, precision, and often controversial. The Supreme Leader’s death was not the only kill in the Israel-US strike; it created a leadership vacuum and elicited varied reactions in the Islamic Republic. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claim to have ‘eliminated’ a number of senior figures in Iran’s security and defence establishment. In addition to Khamenei, commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and officials linked to Tehran’s missile and nuclear programmes were reported killed. On Sunday, 1 March 2026, the IDF claimed to have attacked and eliminated seven members of Iran’s top security leadership in Tehran and 40 senior commanders. The following is a list of senior officials reported killed in the Israel-US attack since 28 February: - Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei - Abdol-Rahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces - Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, former Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces - Hossein Salami, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - Gholam Ali Rashid, Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (Emergency Command) - Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force According to multiple reports, including Iran’s IRNA and Tasnim News Agency, as well as Al Jazeera, Israel also claims to have killed the following figures: - Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Khamenei and the Leader’s Representative on the Supreme Defence Council - Iran’s Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh - Mohammad Raad, head of the Hezbollah parliamentary faction - Brigadier General Basij Shahid Mohammad Shirazi, head of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces - General Shahid Saleh Asadi, deputy for intelligence at the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Mossad’s most audacious acts in history. Throughout its history, Mossad has been involved in a range of cross-border operations, from kidnapping fugitives to assassinating high-value targets. The name Mossad has for decades been synonymous with Israel’s secret overseas operations. The agency is known as Israel’s principal instrument for gathering strategic information, conducting special operations, and protecting national interests around the world. Its presence often comes to the fore whenever a sensitive operation involves high-value targets or foreign territory. Founded in 1949, Mossad has a broad mandate covering espionage, counter-terrorism, and overseas special operations. Its official name is HaMossad leModi’in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim, meaning the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations. In practice, the agency’s activities frequently brush against international legal grey areas, particularly when operations are conducted without the host state’s consent. Several Mossad operations have drawn global attention because of the methods used, sparking legal and political debate. 1. Operation Finale, the Capture of Adolf Eichmann (1960) The pursuit of Adolf Eichmann became one of the most famous operations in Mossad’s history. In late 1959, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered Mossad chief Isser Harel to locate and capture the Nazi figure. Eichmann was an SS official who played a crucial role in implementing the Holocaust, including organising the deportation of millions of Jews to concentration camps. After World War II ended, he fled to South America and lived under a false identity. A Mossad operative eventually located Eichmann in Argentina. He was captured on the night of 11 May 1960 as he was getting off a bus on his way home from work. The operation was carried out covertly without notifying the Argentinian government, prompting diplomatic protests for allegedly violating the country’s sovereignty. For several days, Eichmann was hidden in a safe house before being flown out of Argentina on a chartered Israeli airliner, disguised as a flight crew member. Upon arrival in Israel, the government publicly announced his capture. Eichmann was subsequently tried in Jerusalem, found guilty of war crimes, and eventually executed. 2. Operation Damocles, Target Egyptian Missile Programme Scientist (1962) Another well-known operation was Operation Damocles, aimed at halting Egypt’s missile development in the early 1960s. The project drew serious attention from Israel after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced a successful missile test in 1962. Israeli investigations found that the project involved several German scientists who had previously worked on Nazi weapons programmes. The Israeli government then ordered Mossad to stop the project by various means. In the early stages, Mossad sent threats and pressure to the scientists and those involved in funding the project. Information about the German scientists’ involvement was also passed to the West German government, which then sought to lure back some of the experts. When that approach proved insufficient, the operation escalated to more forceful actions. One of the most well-known cases is the disappearance of German scientist Heinz Krug, believed to have …