Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced on Friday that individuals collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency must surrender by Sunday or face “immediate wartime punishment.” The government is offering amnesty to any individuals who turn themselves in before the deadline, as it continues an aggressive crackdown on internal sabotage operations.
Since the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran on June 13, the majority of strikes within Iranian territory have reportedly been carried out not by Israeli jets, but by Mossad-linked agents operating from inside the country. These operatives have used small drones and quadcopters to target military and infrastructure sites, particularly in western Iran.
In addition to drone attacks, Iranian authorities have attributed a series of car bombings in Tehran to these infiltrators. Videos circulating on social media have also shown tires being set on fire in urban areas, allegedly as part of psychological operations meant to simulate airstrikes and cause panic among the population.
One of the tactics used by these operatives includes the remote placement of missile launchers, set up in rural parts of Iran and possibly controlled from outside the country. On the morning of Israel’s opening salvo, the Israeli military released footage purporting to show Mossad agents assembling rocket systems in the Iranian countryside.
In the week since the war began, Iranian security forces say they have discovered several clandestine drone manufacturing sites and arrested dozens of suspected collaborators. Abandoned trucks loaded with drones have been found, and others have been stopped and searched, resulting in additional arrests.
The infiltration by Mossad agents has highlighted significant gaps in Iran’s internal security architecture. These vulnerabilities were already under scrutiny following the past assassinations of nuclear scientists and high-profile foreign figures, including the July 2023 killing of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The current crisis appears to have galvanized Iranian intelligence and counterintelligence services into action.
Despite the arrests and intensified surveillance, it remains unclear how many operatives Israel has in place or may be able to recruit moving forward. It is also unknown how much of Israel's own strategic depth in its war against Iran will depend on internal actors from within Iran itself.