Mossad head David Barnea addressed the campaign against Iran, intelligence operations in the heart of Tehran, and the continuation of activities in Iran.
Barnea delivered his remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, warning that threats to the existence of the Jewish people are not a thing of the past.
He opened with a stark warning against international complacency: “The naïve are mistaken in thinking the Holocaust is a thing of the past-that in today’s reality genocide cannot occur, that calls for destruction cannot exist, and that hatred threatening a people’s existence cannot arise. The Iranian threat has steadily intensified before our eyes, and before the eyes of the world, almost unchecked.”
He emphasized that Israel repeatedly warned about the nuclear threat and ballistic missile stockpiles endangering its citizens, until ultimately “we took our fate into our own hands and went to two necessary wars.”
Barnea detailed operational achievements of the most recent conflict, crediting intelligence and operational cooperation: “In ‘Rising Lion’, the IDF, with the assistance of the Mossad, led an unprecedented attack that dealt a severe blow to the Iranian regime. The Mossad once again operated in the heart of Tehran. We provided precise intelligence to the Air Force and struck missiles threatening Israeli civilians.”
He also referred to the strategic alliance with the United States, which he called “the strongest power in the world,” noting that historic cooperation during forty days of fighting helped thwart the enemy’s central objective-the destruction of the State of Israel.
During his speech, Barnea responded to critics who argued that the operation did not achieve all its objectives immediately after the strikes ended. “We did not think this mission would be completed the moment the fighting subsided,” he clarified. “But we certainly planned for our campaign to continue and to be expressed in the period following the strikes in Tehran. Our commitment will be fulfilled only when this extremist regime is replaced. That regime, which seeks our destruction, must pass from the world.”
He concluded with a firm message linking his professional duty to the moral imperative of Holocaust Remembrance Day: “This is our mission. We will not stand idly by in the face of another existential threat. With a clear command-never again.”
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