DUBAI: The outgoing chief of Israel鈥檚 Mossad intelligence service has offered the closest acknowledgment yet his country was behind recent attacks targeting Iran鈥檚 nuclear program and a military scientist.
The comments by Yossi Cohen, speaking to Israel鈥檚 Channel 12 investigative program 鈥淯vda鈥� in a segment aired Thursday night, offered an extraordinary debriefing by the head of the typically secretive agency in what appears to be the final days of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 rule.
It also gave a clear warning to other scientists in Iran鈥檚 nuclear program that they too could become targets for assassination even as diplomats in Vienna try to negotiate terms to try to salvage its atomic accord with world powers.
鈥淚f the scientist is willing to change career and will not hurt us anymore, than yes, sometimes we offer them鈥� a way out, Cohen said.
Among the major attacks to target Iran, none have struck deeper than two explosions over the last year at its Natanz nuclear facility. There, centrifuges enrich uranium from an underground hall designed to protect them from airstrikes.
In July 2020, a mysterious explosion tore apart Natanz鈥檚 advanced centrifuge assembly, which Iran later blamed on Israel. Then in April of this year, another blast tore apart one of its underground enrichment halls.
Discussing Natanz, the interviewer asked Cohen where he鈥檇 take them if they could travel there, he said 鈥渢o the cellar鈥� where 鈥渢he centrifuges used to spin.鈥�
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 look like it used to look,鈥� he added.
Cohen did not directly claim the attacks, but his specificity offered the closest acknowledgement yet of an Israeli hand in the attacks. The interviewer, journalist Ilan Dayan, also seemingly offered a detailed description in a voiceover of how Israel snuck the explosives into Natanz鈥檚 underground halls.
鈥淭he man who was responsible for these explosions, it becomes clear, made sure to supply to the Iranians the marble foundation on which the centrifuges are placed,鈥� Dayan said. 鈥淎s they install this foundation within the Natanz facility, they have no idea that it already includes an enormous amount of explosives.鈥�
They also discussed the November killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist who began Tehran鈥檚 military nuclear program decades ago. US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe Iran abandoned that organized effort at seeking a nuclear weapon in 2003. Iran long has maintained its program is peaceful.
While Cohen on camera doesn鈥檛 claim the killing, Dayan in the segment described Cohen as having 鈥減ersonally signed off on the entire campaign.鈥� Dayan also described how a remotely operated machine gun fixed to a pickup truck killed Fakhrizadeh and later self-destructed.
Cohen described an Israeli effort to dissuade Iranian scientists from taking part in the program, which had seen some abandoned their work after being warned, even indirectly, by Israel. Asked by the interviewer if the scientists understood the implications if they didn鈥檛 stop, Cohen said: 鈥淭hey see their friends.鈥�
They also talked about Israel鈥檚 operation seizing archival documents from Iran鈥檚 military nuclear program. Cohen said 20 agents, none Israelis, seized material from 32 safes, then scanned and transmitted the documents before successfully sneaking them out.
鈥淚t was important to us that the world will see this, but this thing should also resonate with the Iranian leadership, to tell them, 鈥楧ear friends: One, you have been infiltrated. Two, we are (watching you). Three, the era of ... lies is over,鈥欌€� Cohen said.
Media in Israel operate under a decades-old policy that requires journalists to clear stories involving security matters through military censors. That Cohen鈥檚 remarks apparently cleared the censors suggests Israel wanted to issue a new warning to Iran amid the Vienna nuclear negotiations.
Iran has repeatedly complained about Israel鈥檚 attacks, with Iran鈥檚 ambassador to the IAEA Kazem Gharibabadi warning as recently as Thursday that the incidents 鈥渘ot only will be responded decisively, but also certainly leave no option for Iran but to reconsider its transparency measures and cooperation policy.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the comments by Cohen, who was replaced by former operative David Barnea. Cohen in the interview acknowledged he might one day seek the prime minister鈥檚 office himself.