After Iran revealed plans for suicide drones that would "hit Tel Aviv and Haifa", David Barnea, the head of Israel's foreign intelligence service, Mossad, warned the Islamic Republic about continuing their nuclear aspirations. "The Iranian regime will not have immunity from the Mossad. We will pursue the messengers of terror - from the last operators to the first decision-makers."
Barnea was participating in the annual conference of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT) at The Reichman University. IN a break from Mossad leadership tradition, Barnea, who spoke shortly after Iran unveiled their new suicide drones, revealed that the Mossad had foiled dozens of Iranian attacks abroad and warned the world against returning to the nuclear deal.
The spy chief then listed some of the terrorist attacks Mossad had prevented, and mentioned, among other things, the attempt to attack Israeli businessmen in Cyprus, and Israeli tourists and diplomats in Turkey. "In Cyprus, terrorists were caught with weapons. In Turkey, with the help of the Turkish authorities, we thwarted a terror attack just before the trigger was pulled, many human lives were saved that day."
BREAKING: Mossad director David Barnea at the ICT conference: “Even if a nuclear deal is signed it will not give Iran immunity from the Mossad operations. We won’t take part in this charade and we don’t close our eyes to the proven truth”
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) September 12, 2022
"Terror is a cornerstone of the world view of the Ayatollah regime, from the moment of its rise," Barnea said. "This is a regime that advocates violence as a legitimate means. This is state terrorism, approved and funded by the regime." Barnea was making the distinction from a state sponsor of terrorism, like what Iran does with a proxy force like Hezbollah, and a state that actually commits terror. The alleged terrorists in Turkey were Iranian agents.
Barnea then referred to his recent visit to the United States, saying that "the nuclear agreement between the world powers and Iran, which is being discussed these days while it is expanding its terrorist activities, is not a restraining factor. Terror attacks are being made brazenly and without fear on U.S. soil.”
'Even if a deal is signed, it will not provide immunity from Mossad operations'@ArielLW_i24 reports from the anti-terror summit in Herzliya, where Mossad chief David Barnea revealed that Israel thwarted 'dozens of Iranian terror attacks' including in Cyprus, Turkey and Colombia pic.twitter.com/5zBYTV4xT3
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) September 12, 2022
Speaking to the use of proxies around the world, Barnea said “employing third parties to do their bidding has served the Iranians well and it will continue to exist as long as the world turns a blind eye and allows them to do so if they are not held to account for the terrorist acts they commission, Iran will continue to sow and sponsor terrorism around the globe." He continued, "the remote activation of these attacks is not simply a preference, but it is a demand from the leader of Iran as it provides them with plausible deniability. The regime is exonerated and plays in the world according to Iranian rules. The room for denial allows it to engage in terrorism without restraint.”
Barnea then proceeded to issue a harsh warning for the Iranian regime, its partners, and even the contractors that assist in carrying out terrorist activities. "Israel does not turn our eyes away from the proven truth, even if a (JCPOA) agreement is signed, it will not give the Iranians immunity from the Mossad. I make it clear to the Iranian regime that there will be no room for denial. Mossad and its partners will expose and continue to expose those who are behind the attacks, and the Iranian regime will not have any room for immunity, from the last of the operators to the first of the decision-makers. We will not be deterred. After we get Iran's terror proxy, we will then go after whoever in Tehran sent them."
Clear warning from Mossad head Barnea: “We will not go after [Iran’s] proxies but against those who gave them the orders, funded them and armed them, and we will do it on Iranian soil.”
— Andrea Stricker (@StrickerNonpro) September 12, 2022
Comes after numerous, alleged assassinations of IRI officials. https://t.co/cHYOomWBHJ
For a Mossad chief to be so outspoken is a sign of times. Historically, the leader of the world's most storied spy organization rarely spoke in public, let alone about operational successes and ongoing efforts. With the world in transition, as Western nation foes Russia and China strengthen ties to the Islamic State, the need for a more brazen approach exists. Barnea's speech reflected that need and established a new normal in Israel's war against terror.
