ALBAWABA - The reported killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has brought attention to the long-running intelligence war between Iran and Israel. This secret war has grown worse over the past few years and now seems to have hit its most dramatic chapter.
Israeli news sites say that intelligence agents working inside Iran were very important in making the attack on Khamenei's heavily guarded compound in Tehran possible. Reports in Hebrew-language media say that agents working on the ground were able to give important information that allowed for precise targeting, but the full facts are still being debated.
The bigger picture of this operation shows how Israel's intelligence services work in Iran. According to The Times, Israeli intelligence sources had earlier said that ground-based assets had been keeping an eye on several Iranian strategic sites since at least 2010. Over the years, Mossad activities are said to have reached sensitive areas, such as Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
The Mossad, whose full name is the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, has been sending dangerous tasks abroad for a very long time. The capture of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi official, in 1960 cemented its image around the world. Recently, the service has been linked to the killings of several Iranian nuclear scientists, most recently Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020. Several foreign news outlets reported at the time that the killing was done with an AI-assisted weapon system that was controlled from afar.
Iran has taken strong action against what it calls "foreign infiltration." The Guardian reports that since recent tensions have grown, Iranian officials have arrested hundreds of people they think are spies. Some of these people are accused of working with Israeli intelligence networks. Officials in Iran have said many times that invasion efforts include people from within the country as well as people from outside the country.
To be fair, though, the fight for intelligence has not been all one way. The Guardian also said in 2024 that more than 30 Israeli citizens were charged with spying for Iran by the Israeli government. Anonymous online messages offering money in trade for information were said to have been used to recruit people. Over time, the tasks got harder and harder, and they ended up being taking pictures of sensitive facilities.
Analysts say that the stated targeting of Khamenei is the biggest step up in this "shadow war" that has ever been seen. If it turns out to be true, it would be the end of years of secret operations, spying, and counter-surveillance between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
The conflict that started out as a secret battle of mischief and targeted killings has grown into a bigger strategic battle. The information war, which has been going on for a long time without being talked about, is now at the center of Middle Eastern politics.
