Mossad Director David Barnea revealed that the organization is now operating more intensively within Iran, even in the heart of Tehran, during the Prime Minister’s Award Ceremony for Mossad Operations for 2023–2024. The event, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and key security figures, celebrated “exceptional” intelligence and operational contributions to Israel’s defense, with Netanyahu and Barnea highlighting critical missions against existential threats.
Netanyahu praised an operation in Iran codenamed “Am K’Lavi” (“A People Like a Lion”), describing it as a historic mass targeted thwarting that prevented a potential beheading of the state within a year. “The entire nation rose up,” he said, crediting Mossad’s role alongside complex missions against Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, including the eliminations of Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah. Barnea echoed this, noting “Operation Pagers” a year prior led to Hezbollah’s defeat and described “Am K’Lavi” as a harsh blow to an existential threat, executed through years of Mossad effort.
Barnea’s admission of intensified operations in Tehran signals a bold escalation, with the director emphasizing Mossad’s readiness to safeguard Israel’s security “behind closed doors.” Netanyahu’s backing, he said, is crucial for turning vision into reality. The ceremony, a testament to Mossad’s technological and intelligence superiority, underscores Israel’s proactive stance against regional threats.
