Israel began preparing operation against Iran in 2010, intel files reveal

Israel began planning for a covert operation targeting Iran as early as 2010, according to Israeli intelligence documents cited by The Times on June 28. The operation, driven by mounting concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, involved years of deep-cover surveillance by Israeli agents embedded inside Iran.

According to the report, Israeli intelligence operatives closely monitored Iran's nuclear program, successfully identifying the precise locations of centrifuge production sites in Tehran and Isfahan. They also obtained detailed intelligence on Iran’s key nuclear facility at Natanz, including information on its underground complexes, power supply systems, transformer stations, and ventilation and cooling infrastructure.

By the end of 2024, Israeli intelligence concluded that Iran had advanced from the research phase to actively developing nuclear weapons, according to the documents.

In parallel with its nuclear ambitions, Iran also planned to significantly scale up its missile production. The Times reported that Iranian officials intended to increase the output of long-range surface-to-surface missiles to 1,000 units annually, with the goal of building a total stockpile of around 8,000 missiles. At the onset of the current conflict, Iranian forces were believed to possess approximately 2,500 ballistic missiles.

Israeli agents reportedly infiltrated and inspected all key facilities associated with Iran’s missile program, many of which were later targeted by Israeli strikes.

The extent of Israeli intelligence penetration has reportedly sparked deep paranoia within Iran’s security apparatus. Over the 12-day conflict period, Iranian authorities arrested dozens of individuals suspected of espionage. The mole hunt intensified after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, with members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly turning on one another amid fears of internal leaks.

This internal tension was underscored by a message posted by Mossad on X (formerly Twitter) on June 27, warning Iranian civilians to stay away from IRGC officials and regime vehicles.

While Israel’s intelligence-gathering methods remain largely classified, including the recruitment of insiders within Iran, their reach has inspired widespread public fascination, most notably through the internationally acclaimed Israeli spy thriller series Tehran. One of Mossad’s most high-profile operations inside Iran was the 2018 theft of a trove of Iranian nuclear archives from a heavily guarded safe. The documents were later used to persuade then-President Donald Trump to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement, under which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

On the evening of June 26, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged the severe toll inflicted by Israeli and American efforts on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “The Israeli and American campaigns have done excessive and serious damage to the country’s nuclear facilities,” he said, though he declined to provide specific details. Araghchi also confirmed that “no agreement” had yet been reached on upcoming nuclear negotiations with the United States.

“For decades, Israel has been observing activities inside Iran,” said Dr. Efrat Sopher, an Iranian-Israeli analyst and chair of the Ezri Centre for Iran and Gulf States Research at the University of Haifa in the UK. “Mossad has played a pivotal role in the success in thwarting the Iranian threat, where its successful operations vis-à-vis Iran and its proxies will be chronicled in the history books.”

By Tamilla Hasanova