This Is the Covert Mossad Operation in the Iran War, Infiltrating from Here
The conflict between Israel and Iran continues to intensify. The latest development sees Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, reportedly ramping up covert efforts to reach ordinary Iranians directly. This move serves as a strategy to garner internal support in efforts to undermine the Islamic Republic’s government.
As is known, the war between Israel, the United States (US), and Iran heated up following a massive attack on Tehran on 28 February 2026 that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The incident sparked regional conflict escalation, marked by Iran’s retaliatory strikes using missiles and drones on targets in the Gulf region and Israel.
Israel’s intelligence capabilities have played a crucial role in this conflict. They, along with their military forces, have been hunting down other key figures in Iran’s leadership over the past few days.
Behind the overt military operations, Mossad is pursuing a more subtle strategy through the digital realm. On 24 December 2025, several weeks before the war broke out, a Persian-language channel on the Telegram app appeared.
The channel contains invitations for Iranians to communicate directly with the intelligence agency. “Welcome! If you’ve made it here, you’re likely wanting to contact us. We’re pleased to hear it. There’s a good chance for us to collaborate and achieve our shared goals,” reads the pinned message in Persian, citing AFP on Thursday (19/3/2026).
A link to the channel is listed on the official website of the intelligence agency, confirming its authenticity, along with links to recruitment accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. The pinned message in the channel implies an invitation for cooperation, complete with technical guidance to ensure secure communications.
The channel now has tens of thousands of followers. It even actively encourages Iranians to send information from within the country.
In addition to Telegram, traces of this digital campaign are visible on various platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. This demonstrates a multi-platform approach to broaden reach.
Moreover, Israel is also seeking assets elsewhere, with aircraft dropping propaganda leaflets over Lebanon during the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah. Dropping leaflets for asset recruitment and propaganda warfare has also been used in Gaza.
In detail, the Mossad channel, with around 48,000 followers, posted a message on 6 March 2026 urging Iranians to send intelligence from inside the country. “Keep sending your field reports. You are the tellers of truth. We will continue fighting until victory!” reads the message.
According to experts, this outreach effort is part of the intelligence agency’s long-term strategy. “They’ve been doing this kind of work for decades, according to the tools and technology available,” said Yossi Melman, an Israeli commentator on intelligence matters.
He stated that over the past few decades, the agency is suspected of funding publications and radio stations in enemy countries, just like other intelligence agencies. According to him, a similar approach has been used for decades—only now leveraging digital technology—adding that such practices are common among various intelligence agencies worldwide, including the CIA.
Mossad Farsi Account?
Around six months before the official Telegram channel’s launch, an account named “Mossad Farsi” appeared on X, although it lacks the distinctive features of an official account. The account began posting on 25 June, shortly after the Iran-Israel war last year ended.
The account, with 60,000 followers, frequently posts messages critical of Iran’s leaders, including sarcasm, and content aimed at garnering public sympathy, such as offers of medical consultations for Iranians. Initial posts featured a series of videos by Menashe Amir, a prominent Israeli radio broadcaster born in Tehran, who has spent over six decades broadcasting in Persian to listeners in Iran as part of Israel’s outreach efforts.
In the early videos, Amir promises that Mossad will provide “any possible form of assistance” to Iranians. Amir confirmed to AFP that the intelligence agency manages the account.
“The first message (video) they published with me got 2.2 million views,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which oversees Mossad, did not respond to AFP’s questions about whether the intelligence agency is indeed behind the account. However, Israeli media routinely refer to it as an official account.
Since its creation, the account has launched sharp barbs at Iran’s leaders but also posts diverse content. Among them are offers for sick Iranians to consult online with Israeli medical specialists and polls asking who should lead Iran to address its chronic water crisis.
The account adopted a more urgent tone when mass protests erupted across Iran at the end of December. “Come out to the streets together. The time has come. We’re with you,” reads a message from the account on 29 December, followed by “not just from afar or with words. We’re also in the field with you.”
A few days after Israel killed Supreme Leader Khamenei, his son Mojtaba was appointed as his successor, and the Mossad Farsi account immediately commented. “The clerical regime has collapsed, and the prince has turned into a king without a kingdom or future,” it sneered.