Great battles return between Mossad, IDF over Iran, sources tell 'Post'
In June 2025 and in early 2026, both the IDF and the Mossad were in favor of striking Iran with major operations. The sides began to disagree over the goals of the early 2026 operation.
Recent policy disagreements between Mossad and the IDF over Iran have resurfaced, according to sources speaking to The Jerusalem Post. The conflict centers on the idea of a joint US-Israel operation against Iran before Israeli elections, with Mossad Director Roman Gofman supporting the idea, backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen.
Eyal Zamir opposes it. However, sources close to Mossad refute Channel 12's claims that Gofman has backed an operation recently, stating that their debates involve tensions between utilizing a joint offensive opportunity with the US against Iran before the window closes, versus the potential harm such an attack could cause during a sensitive election season, and the risk of it being abused by Netanyahu against his rivals.
Despite their differences, Mossad and IDF were in agreement in June 2025 and early 2026 that a major strike on Iran was necessary. From 2023-2024, both factions advocated for taking more time to prepare for a full-scale operation targeting a broad range of Iranian sites before launching a major assault. The two organizations began to diverge in 2026 regarding the objectives of the early 2026 operation.
Mossad Director David Barnea was eager to push for regime change through several practical plans, including targeting the Kurds and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while the IDF was hesitant or ambivalent to these plans. Historically, Mossad and IDF have had contrasting views on Iran, with Mossad favoring the removal from the 2015 JCPOA in 2022 and the IDF advocating for staying in the deal until close to 2024, when certain limits set by Iran would expire.
From 2010 to 2012, the two organizations united against Netanyahu's and defense minister Ehud Barak's potential plans to strike Iran's nuclear program, arguing that such an attack would prematurely draw the region into danger and chaos long before Iran was near a nuclear weapon.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
