Four ways Israel’s Mossad lured Iranian generals to their deaths during the 12-day war

Israel’s biggest gain during the 12-day war against Iran was how it managed to take out the top command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), leaving the regime vulnerable. Now, details  have emerged about how Israel managed to precisely target the top men, who boasted of impeccable security arrangements.

According to Israeli sources, Mossad had a mass of agents deep inside Iran, operating at the highest level of penetration imaginable, which they used during the 12-day operation. Some of them were even retrained as commando fighters to carry out mission-critical operations.

‘Leaking’ details: A report that appeared in the UK-based Iran International details how Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, targeted Hossein Salami, the Iranian military officer who served as the commander-in-chief of the IRGC from 2019. Mossad deliberately leaked the date of an Israeli attack through an agent close to Salami to lure him into a location where his assassination had been planned.

‘Official calls: Another technique Mossad used is to fake an “official call”. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, was summoned along with his deputies to a meeting arranged by Mossad. They all received a phone call inviting them to the location. The call was reportedly so convincing that the commanders agreed to attend. Israel then took out the entire group with a single missile strike.

DNA sampling: Another brilliant technique used by Israel was to use DNA samples to identify Ali Shadmani, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's supreme wartime military command. Sadmani succeeded Gholam Ali Rashid, who was one of Israel’s first targets. Mossad infiltrated the personal life of Shadmani and obtained his DNA sample. They used artificial intelligence-based facial recognition and genetic profiling to identify him. Mossad then implanted malware into Tehran’s city security cameras to locate Shadmani in the Zaferania neighborhood. An Israeli drone killed him with a precision strike on June 27.

Luring to safe houses: Israeli agents also identified a safe house used by the IRGC head of intelligence,  Mohammad Kazemi, in Kurdbacheh alley. They lured the IRGC command into the safe house using an agent. Once they were holed up in the safe house, Israeli forces waited till a nearby kindergarten emptied. Ten minutes later, an Israeli drone struck the safehouse located between two kindergartens and a girls’ school.

 

Middle East