“Israel can strike anywhere, anytime,” says security and defense expert

Two Hamas leaders and one Hezbollah leader have been assassinated in recent days, in Lebanon and Iran. Are we sure that this is the work of the Mossad?

Yes, it is the Israeli intelligence service. While it does not officially assume responsibility for the death of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, on Iranian soil, its modus operandi is recognized. The Mossad has been feared for several decades for its targeted eliminations, from that of the sponsors of the attack at the Munich Olympic Games (West Germany) in 1972 to that of the scientific leaders in charge of nuclear development in Iran… The day after the Hamas attack on October 7, Israel had warned: those responsible for the operation would be eliminated one by one. Since then, about twenty of them have been scrupulously killed in Gaza, Lebanon, and even in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

Will the intelligence service stop there?

No, he still has Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 massacres, on his list. All means are being used to find him. Israel will not let him go; the hunt for the masterminds of Munich lasted for decades.

Systematic revenge seems to be the hallmark of the Mossad. Does it work?

Today, the message sent to Hamas and its allies is clear: the Mossad can strike anywhere and at any time. Moreover, Ismail Haniyeh was eliminated during a trip to Iran on the occasion of the inauguration of the new president while he was in a secure neighborhood in the heart of the capital…

How can Mossad orchestrate assassinations abroad?

He benefits from a very great capacity for human analysis, and relies on many relays. Even in Iran. In the case of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, who knows, his agents may have infiltrated the Revolutionary Guards, the elite military of the mullahs’ regime. There are always agents who are bought or who find it in their interest to support a foreign power. One thing seems certain: the operators of this action acted from Iranian territory, because if the drone had been sent from Israel and had crossed Iraqi airspace, it would have been intercepted in the meantime.

Does he really have eyes everywhere?

Yes, in addition to his field relays through which he collects confidential information, he relies on his country’s great technological capabilities: satellites, surveillance drones, etc.

In the collective imagination, the Mossad is one of the best secret services in the world. Is this the case?

It is undoubtedly one of the most effective and formidable. The Mossad was created shortly after the birth of Israel in 1948. It draws its striking force from the fact that, since the birth of the State, the country has been at war. Its enemies are its neighbors and they are constantly evolving. From then on, Israel constantly seeks to protect itself. But it does not owe its prestige only to itself. Because no intelligence service in the world operates alone, not even the Mossad. It is always in contact with other foreign cells. In particular the United States, privileged partners of the Hebrew State.

What about his Arab neighbors? Can he work with them?

But yes! The links are less known but the Mossad has also infiltrated Arab countries, and regularly exchanges information with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. This is not so surprising. These countries have the same enemy and design: to eradicate the Iranian threat.

Even if it means being above the law?

This is the very principle of intelligence: to act discreetly, without being caught. During these targeted strikes at the end of July, no one knows whether they were infiltrated Israelis or even Iranians working for the Mossad… The Israelis will never admit that the responsibility lies with their intelligence service. And then, neither Israel, nor the United States, nor even Iran recognize the competence of international justice.

Do these assassinations not risk setting the region ablaze?

There will certainly be a proportionate and not immediate response from Iran and its allies. One thing is certain, the Mossad and other Israeli intelligence services are on deck to combat further external interference.