MOSSAD RECRUITED AHMADINEJAD TO LEAD IRAN AND THE PLAN COLLAPSED AT THE LAST MINUTE
Israel’s Mossad recruited former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and chose him to lead Iran after a planned operation to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
The relationship began in 2022. Mossad gathered intelligence indicating shifts in Ahmadinejad’s views. He believed Iran could not continue under sanctions. He believed the nuclear program had become a burden, not an asset.
Then-Mossad chief David Barnea personally oversaw the operation. He skipped a security consultation with Prime Minister Netanyahu to focus on developments involving Ahmadinejad.
By early 2026, Ahmadinejad had become one of Israel’s most significant assets. He was chosen to take power after “Operation Puss in Boots” — a plan to overthrow Iran’s government, end its nuclear weapons pursuit, and install new leadership.
The wider plan included influence operations inside Iran, arming Kurdish forces in Iraq, mobilizing minorities, recruiting collaborators, and creating a land corridor for militia movements. Israel also sought to draw Azerbaijan into the war.
The plan faced opposition from Military Intelligence, Research Division, and the national security adviser. Three days before H-hour, disagreements reached a boiling point. The IDF Chief of Staff ordered everything halted. Netanyahu decided to proceed anyway.
The plan collapsed before Kurdish forces fired a single shot.
Ahmadinejad was Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. He denied the Holocaust. He advocated Israel’s destruction. He suggested Iran could develop nuclear weapons. He was also repeatedly barred from standing in elections after leaving office.
Over time, he distanced himself from the establishment and criticised the system under Khamenei, accusing senior figures of corruption and mismanagement. He adopted a softer public image as a defender of ordinary Iranians.
Last week, he attended a state-run funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, months after an alleged airstrike on his residence reportedly set him free from house arrest.
The man Israel chose to lead Iran was at the funeral for the man Israel killed.