Two Senior Israeli Mossad Officials Fired for Failing to Overthrow Iranian Government

Mossad chief Roman Gofman. (Wikimedia Commons/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - Mossad chief Roman Gofman fired two senior intelligence officials after a plan to overthrow the Iranian government failed or was never implemented, according to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 on Thursday.

The two officials are the head of the intelligence directorate - who was only appointed a few months ago - and the head of the Iran division at the agency, Channel 12 reported, quoted by Anadolu (7/8).

However, the identities of the two officials were not disclosed.

Channel 12 further claimed that the plan was drawn up in coordination with the US and aimed to spark an internal movement to fight the Iranian government, including providing support for opposition groups, under the protection of a vast Israeli-US joint military airlift.

The broadcaster, citing a number of assessments, stated that the plan failed or never even reached the operational stage.

Security sources told Channel 12 that Gofman's relationship with the two officials had been strained from the start, adding that the dismissal came amid a broader shake-up of Mossad leadership and priorities, particularly with regard to Iran.

The broadcaster also quoted international reports saying the plan includes a scenario of Iranian leadership replacement as well as coordination with US officials regarding a possible "post-regime" phase.

However, the effort stalled at an early stage, so the proposal was eventually canceled and those responsible were held accountable, according to the broadcaster's report.

There has been no official comment from Israel on the report of the dismissal.

Previously, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on March 13 that overthrowing the Iranian government would be difficult, saying that "there is no certainty that it will happen."

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, which killed more than 3,000 people, including the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of senior officials.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes against US bases in the region as well as targets in Israel, causing casualties on both sides.

On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement and began negotiations on a final deal, but the talks then stalled due to differences over security guarantees and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tensions flared again last month after the US launched new strikes in Iranian territory, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks in various regions, including Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.