Jump to content

Draft:June 2025 Mossad operations in Iran

Extended-protected page
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In June 2025, Israel coordinated an intelligence and military campaign deep inside Iranian territory, combining covert drone sabotage by Mossad with large-scale Israeli Air Force (IAF) airstrikes on Iran’s surface-to-surface missile (SSM) infrastructure. The clandestine operation of Mossad enabled the start of the June 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran. It is the first time Israeli officials admit operating a clandestine drone base within Iran. Mossad agents had smuggled and assembled explosive UAVs used to disable missile launchers and air defenses. The aerial bombardment that followed targeted dozens of SSM launchers, storage bunkers, and IRGC command sites across multiple areas. Together, the operations marked a significant escalation in the long running shadow conflict between Israel and Iran, presenting a new model of hybrid warfare blending espionage, sabotage, and significant air power.

Mossad drone base and smuggling operation

Establishment and intelligence network

Throughout late 2024 and early 2025, Mossad covertly smuggled drone parts and munitions including hundreds of quadcopter drones, into Iran using suitcases, trucks, and shipping containers, ultimately assembling them on site near key military installations. The operation also included commandos and precision guided weapons caches placed near Iranian air defense systems and ballistic missile launch sites.[1][2][3][4]

Operational role in June 2025

As Israeli airstrikes commenced on 13–14 June, Mossad-controlled drone teams neutralized air-defense batteries and intercepted mobile SSM launchers before they could engage. Officials mentioned that drones “took out missile launchers aimed at Israel,” significantly degrading Iran’s immediate response capabilities.[5][1][6]

Strategic significance

This preemptive sabotage campaign was fundamental to Israel’s overall aerial operation, effectively blunting Iran’s ability to retaliate and reducing missile launches from an anticipated 1,000 to approximately 200. The operation marked a pivotal shift: Israel’s intelligence arm operated deep within Iran, showcasing innovative use of micro-drones and covert networks.[1][2][5]

Israeli airstrikes on surface-to-surface missile (SSM) infrastructure

Targets and execution

Between 13 and 15 June 2025, the Israeli Air Force launched coordinated airstrikes against Iranian missile facilities. The direct follow-up to drone operations included:

  • Strikes on “dozens of SSM launchers”—Shahab, Dezful, and Sejjil systems—across Kermanshah, Tabriz, Esfahan, and Tehran.
  • Bombing of underground storage bunkers and hardened launch pads, with imagery showing significant structural damage to missile infrastructure.[1][2]

Scale and impact

Sources confirm that Israeli jets, supported by Mossad surveillance, executed five strike waves, involving about 200 aircraft attacking over 100 military and nuclear-related targets.[7][8][9] Satellite and independent analysis suggest at least 30 missile launchers and three missile depots were destroyed, with four IRGC commanders killed.[10][1]

Strategic and tactical significance

The coordinated drone sabotage and airstrike campaign significantly degraded Iran’s immediate missile launch capabilities, effectively altering the strategic balance of air power in favor of Israel. This operation marked a new stage in inter-agency military collaboration, seamlessly integrating Mossad’s clandestine intelligence gathering, infiltration, and precise target designation with the Israel Air Force’s capacity for long-range, high-impact strikes.[according to whom?] The result was a deeply synchronized offensive capable of penetrating heavily defended Iranian territory with minimal warning. Beyond its tactical success, the campaign highlighted a broader transformation in the nature of modern warfare, demonstrating how low cost, agile drone platforms can be employed as force multipliers to disable critical infrastructure and pave the way for conventional aerial assaults.[need quotation to verify] In numbers reports say that the drones disrupted roughly 800 potential missile launches, reducing Iran’s retaliation from a possible 1,000 launches to about 200.[11][1][12] This fusion of asymmetric and traditional capabilities points to a new paradigm in strategic military planning, where covert and overt assets are orchestrated in real time for maximum operational effect.[12][1][2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Dowell, Dov Lieber and Andrew. "How Israel's Mossad Smuggled Drone Parts to Attack Iran From Within". WSJ. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  2. ^ a b c d Ravid, Barak (2025-06-13). "How Israeli spies and pilots crippled an Iranian counterstrike". Axios. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  3. ^ Berman, Lazar; page (2025). "Mossad set up drone base in Iran, UAVs took out missile launchers overnight". www.timesofisrael.com.
  4. ^ "How israel's mossad smuggled drone parts to attack iran from within". 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Secrets and spies: How Israel lulled Iran as Mossad plotted its attack". 2025.
  6. ^ "i24NEWS". www.i24news.tv. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  7. ^ Doornbos, Caitlin; McEntyre, Nicholas; Crane, Emily (2025-06-13). "How Israel's Mossad covertly infiltrated Iran to launch unprecedented attack". Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  8. ^ Tangalakis-Lippert, Tom Porter, Jake Epstein, Katherine. "5 key questions on Israel's strikes, Iran's response, and the risk of a wider war". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Lubell, Maayan (2025-06-13). "Israel used long-planned subterfuge in attack on Iranian nuclear targets, Israeli sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  10. ^ View, The Sunday Times (2025-06-14). "Israel's audacious move may ultimately make us all safer". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  11. ^ "Mossad agents sabotaged Iranian defenses as airstrikes began, Israeli official says". Defense One. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
  12. ^ a b "Inside Israel's Attack on Iran: Secret Mossad Base, Precision Strikes and Advanced Arms". 2025.
This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.
Categories:

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:June_2025_Mossad_operations_in_Iran&oldid=1296075854"