Ex-Mossad chief: ‘We walked around Fordow many times’ to understand Iran’s nuclear site

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen disclosed on Tuesday that Israeli intelligence personnel had visited Iran's Fordow nuclear facility multiple times to gain a better understanding of its layout. Speaking at the Galilee Conference, Cohen stated, "We walked around the Fordow nuclear site many times in order to understand the site." He also commented on the U.S. attack on Fordow during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, saying, "The bombing of the site by the Americans was the fulfillment of all my dreams."

Cohen further discussed Iran's uranium enrichment program, asserting that "60% enriched uranium is still far from a bomb."

On June 22, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced American strikes on Iran's three primary nuclear facilities - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump explained that the aim of the operation was to obliterate Iran's enrichment capacity and halt the perceived nuclear threat from "the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror." According to Trump, "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success."

However, Fox News reported that six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, and 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired at the other nuclear facilities. Yet, it later emerged from ynet that Trump's statement was inaccurate. The targeted facilities did sustain some damage, but intelligence officials doubted that Iran's nuclear program was completely dismantled.

In fact, just two days following Trump's announcement, The New York Times published an internal Pentagon intelligence assessment that starkly contrasted with the president's claims. The assessment revealed that the strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan had caused minimal lasting damage.