How Iran is being infiltrated by Israel to become a "sieve"

On the morning of February 28 local time, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a highly targeted airstrike.

According to U.S. media reports, U.S. and Israeli intelligence personnel have been tracking Iran’s top officials for weeks, ultimately successfully pinpointing Khamenei’s location.

Before the U.S. and Israel launched a military strike against Iran, the CIA had already identified the possible whereabouts of Iran’s highest leader, Khamenei.

Several insiders revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies had been monitoring Khamenei’s movements for months, continuously improving their understanding of his travel patterns and potential locations.

Subsequently, U.S. intelligence learned that multiple senior Iranian officials planned to hold a meeting in the central government district of Tehran on the morning of February 28, with Khamenei himself attending. After obtaining this intelligence, the U.S. and Israel decided to adjust the timing of their planned attack.

The head of a country being targeted for a precise elimination by the enemy is reminiscent of Israel’s multiple past assassinations of senior Iranian officials and nuclear scientists. It shows that Iran has been deeply infiltrated by Israel.

How did Israel achieve this?

First, Iran’s intelligence agencies lack effective counter-espionage measures.

No matter how capable Mossad is, if Iran’s internal intelligence and security work were not severely flawed, Mossad could not have operated so freely.

According to foreign media reports, Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s current Supreme Leader advisor who was killed in the February 28 attack, had downplayed Israel’s assassination threats as early as 2017.

“Iranian officials face no security threats. I myself am a security official, and assassination threats are a thing of the 1980s,” Shamkhani said.

In 2012, Iranian media released a documentary titled Terror Club, about how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested spies working for Israel.

However, years later, an Israeli spy named Maziyar was released, claiming he had never worked for Israel and that his confession was obtained under severe torture.

After the conflict with Israel in June 2025, Iran also arrested many so-called Israeli spies. Yet, evidence suggests that these large-scale arrests did not significantly damage Israel’s infiltration capabilities. Foreign media reports question how many of those arrested were truly Israeli spies, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the operation.

Second, Mossad recruits local Iranians to carry out missions, making it difficult for Iran to defend against.

Foreign reports state that Meir Dagan, who led Mossad from 2002 to 2011, changed the agency’s operational style from primarily using Israeli agents to recruiting local Iranians.

A former senior Mossad official responsible for managing foreign agents said: “Convincing someone to betray their own country is no easy task. It’s a gradual process. You start with small requests, minor tasks, then gradually increase the stakes. These are all tests. If they perform well, you assign more important, meaningful missions. If they refuse—well, then you have leverage: pressure, threats, even blackmail.”

Most people willing to work for Israel expect compensation to offset the risks they take.

The former Mossad official explained: “Financial rewards are important, but people are also driven by emotions—hatred, love, dependence, revenge. However, if the recruiter’s motives are supported by some tangible benefit, it always helps: not necessarily direct payment, but some form of indirect assistance.”

Mossad mainly uses promises of medical procedures to attract Iranians. The agency has established contacts with doctors in multiple countries, arranging medical treatments unavailable in Iran to lure Iranians into defecting.

Another lure is “studying abroad.” Many Iranians desire high-quality education, so offering opportunities to attend Western universities becomes a highly attractive method.

Once candidates are identified, Mossad arranges initial meetings in neighboring countries such as Turkey, Armenia, or Azerbaijan. After preliminary assessments, they begin training with Mossad.

Upon returning to Iran, these spies operate covertly under Israeli instructions.

Additionally, smuggling along Iran’s land borders with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and other neighboring countries is rampant. Thousands cross borders using donkeys, camels, and vehicles to transport drugs, fuel, and electronics. Mossad has established close ties with these smugglers, aiding in the transportation of weapons and supplies.

As Iran’s political and economic crises deepen, Mossad finds it easier to buy and recruit dissidents and minority groups within Iran.

Ironically, pro-Israel media claimed after the 2025 conflict that Israel’s military and intelligence agencies had the capability to eliminate Khamenei but chose not to, because Israel’s bottom line is not to assassinate the leaders of sovereign states.

Reports stated that Israel’s strongest weapon was its legitimacy in the eyes of Western countries. Assassinating a head of state would “destroy this legitimacy overnight.”

Now it appears that Israel has no bottom line and does not care about so-called “legitimacy.”

Source: China News Weekly

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