The French newspaper Le Figaro revealed details of a secret Israeli plan to overthrow the Iranian regime from within, by supporting an opposition force of 150,000 people to ignite an uprising, seize control of several cities, and then march towards Tehran. However, the plan collapsed before it even began, due to media leaks, an American veto, and a Turkish rejectionist stance, placing the Mossad in the eye of an unprecedented storm.
"The uprising of 150,000"
According to the newspaper, the Israeli plan was based on igniting an uprising inside Iran by supporting a large opposition force of 150,000 people, taking control of several cities, and then heading towards Tehran with the aim of overthrowing the regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was counting on the collapse of the Iranian regime from within, but he needed the approval of US President Donald Trump for the plan, which later became the focus of the dispute.
Trump's veto and Erdogan's "no"
Le Figaro noted that the plan collapsed before it even began for two main reasons: media leaks and, more importantly, the veto imposed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who did not want the success of Iranian Kurds to encourage Turkish Kurds. Furthermore, the CIA and the US State Department expressed serious doubts about the plan, describing it as "unrealistic."
Mossad in the eye of the storm
The newspaper highlighted the dismissal of senior Mossad officials following Trump's veto of the plan, a move that sparked widespread controversy within Israel. It argued that the aura of secrecy surrounding the agency had been "significantly damaged" by a number of leaks. The media storm erupted after the head of Israel’s foreign intelligence service decided to dismiss two senior officials working under him: the first holds the position of intelligence director, while the second heads the department in charge of the Iranian file.
According to the article's author, the aim of dismissing the officials was to avoid directing responsibility to Netanyahu, who has direct authority over the Mossad, in an attempt to contain the political and media storm within Israel. These developments add a new chapter to the "shadow war" between Israel and Iran, which came into the open following the twelve-day war in June.
Observers believe that revealing the details of the failed plan highlights the limits of Israel’s ability to effect internal change in Iran, and at the same time reflects the extent of the divergence between the calculations of Tel Aviv, Washington and Ankara on one of the most sensitive regional issues.
