Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Mossad chief sacks officials tied to failed Iran regime-change plot
The head of Israel's spy agency, called the Mossad, recently let go of two of his top helpers.
Those helpers had worked on a secret plan to change the government of Iran.
The plan wanted Kurdish people who live in Iran to fight and march toward cities in the northwest of Iran.
It hoped that thousands of young Kurds would join, turning it into a bigger movement that could reach Tehran, Iran's capital.
It also hoped that millions of Iranians would join big street protests against their government.
The plan even chose a former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to run the country afterwards.
Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, asked America's leader, Donald Trump, to support the plan.
But the plan fell apart because the secret was leaked, Turkey did not support it, and Kurdish groups did not want to take part.
American officials also said that the hope of Iran's government falling was not realistic.
The two helpers who were let go will keep working at the Mossad, just in different jobs.
Roman Gofman, the newly appointed chief of Israel's Mossad, has removed two senior officials linked to a reported plan to overthrow Iran's Islamic Republic.
The removed officials were the head of Mossad's intelligence directorate, who took charge in December last year, and the head of the agency's Iran division.
The reported plan envisioned Israeli strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps positions near the Iraqi border so Kurdish fighters could advance toward Kurdish-majority cities in northwest Iran.
The strategy reportedly assumed thousands of young Kurds would join a broader movement toward Tehran, trigger mass protests, and lead to former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad eventually taking control.
The plan was abandoned after details leaked to the media, Turkey lobbied against it, Kurdish groups expressed reservations, and US officials called Israeli collapse predictions unrealistic.
Security sources said the departures were by mutual agreement as part of a wider restructuring, with both officials expected to remain in different positions at the agency.
- Who
- Roman Gofman, the newly appointed chief of Israel's Mossad, who removed the two senior officials; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; US President Donald Trump; former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; former Mossad chief David Barnea.
- What
- Two senior Mossad officials, the head of the intelligence directorate and the head of the Iran division, were removed over their involvement in a reported plan to overthrow Iran's Islamic Republic that failed or never reached the operational stage.
- When
- No specific date was given; the intelligence directorate head took office in December of the previous year, Netanyahu discussed the plan with Trump in February, The New York Times reported on the Ahmadinejad recruitment last month, and Channel 12 reported on Thursday.
- Where
- Israel; the plan's military operations targeted Iran's Kurdish region near the Iraqi border and northwest Iran; a reported meeting between Ahmadinejad and Barnea took place in Hungary; US-Iran hostilities have involved the Strait of Hormuz.
- Why
- The officials were reportedly at odds with Gofman since he took office, and their departures were described as part of a wider restructuring; the underlying plan collapsed after leaks, Turkish lobbying, Kurdish reservations, and US doubts about regime collapse.
Report framing (Channel 12)
Security sources' account
Reason for the officials' departure
Report framing (Channel 12)
The report frames the two officials as being removed after being at odds with new chief Roman Gofman and closely linked to the failed regime-change plan.
Security sources' account
Security sources say the departures were by mutual agreement as part of a wider restructuring of the Mossad, and both officials are expected to stay in different positions.
Viability of the Iran regime-change plan
Report framing (Channel 12)
Israeli planners reportedly assumed the Kurdish offensive would spark a mass uprising, broader protests, and the collapse of Iran's regime.
Security sources' account
US officials advised President Trump that Israeli assessments predicting the collapse of the Iranian regime were unrealistic, and Netanyahu himself said toppling the government was 'not certain that this will happen.'
Status of the plan
Report framing (Channel 12)
The plan was ultimately abandoned after details were leaked, Turkey lobbied against it, and Kurdish groups expressed reservations about the operation.
Security sources' account
Intelligence assessments cited by Channel 12 say the proposal either failed or never progressed beyond its initial phase and was eventually shelved.
- Reporting outlet
- Israel's Channel 12, cited by Anadolu Agency
- Agency
- Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency
- New chief
- Roman Gofman
- Officials removed
- Head of the intelligence directorate; head of the Iran division
- Plan objective
- Overthrow Iran's Islamic Republic and establish alternative leadership
- Planned interim leader
- Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
- Plan status
- Failed or never reached the operational stage
- Reasons plan was abandoned
- Media leaks, Turkish lobbying, Kurdish reservations, US description of collapse predictions as unrealistic
