Mossad Director Gofman removes two senior officials over failure to replace Iranian regime - report

Mossad Director Roman Gofman has removed two senior officials from their positions due to a failed attempt to replace Iran's regime, according to N12. The officials in question are the head of the Mossad's Intelligence Directorate and the head of the agency's Iran division. Neither official's name was disclosed in the report. Security sources revealed that neither official had a strong working relationship with Gofman from the beginning, and their tenures would conclude via mutual agreement.

Both could potentially stay within the Mossad in different roles, representing a larger restructuring of the intelligence agency. However, N12 directly linked the removals to the regime-change plan, stating that the two officials had devised and submitted the proposal. The report mentioned that Gofman believed those responsible for the plan should face consequences after presenting it to US President Donald Trump, who did not follow through with the plan.

Initially, the Mossad-CIA proposal involved Kurdish ground forces entering Iran with extensive Israeli and American air support to remove the Islamic Republic's leadership. Iranian minorities were intended to aid in toppling the regime, allowing alternative figures to assume power. In May, The New York Times had reported that Israel and the US had collaborated on a specific candidate to lead Iran: former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

However, the operation faltered on the first day of the war, with Israel Air Force targeting Ahmadinejad's Tehran residence to eliminate the guards holding him. Despite surviving the strike, Ahmadinejad later expressed doubts about the regime-change plan.