According to a report by N12 journalist Asaf Rozentzweig, on February 28 Israel struck the compound where former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was staying, targeting his security building and armored vehicle. Mossad agents then arrived in a black Peugeot, extracted him to a secret safe house in Iran, but he became agitated and later left under unclear circumstances.
The N12 report adds new details to the previously reported Mossad operation involving former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As The Zioneer reported earlier today (Monday, 13:55 Jerusalem), the New York Times revealed that Ahmadinejad had left a Mossad safe house under unclear circumstances and resurfaced at the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
According to the new report by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), the operation began on February 28 with an Israeli airstrike on Ahmadinejad's compound, specifically targeting his security building and the armored vehicle he used. After the strike, a black Peugeot car arrived, and Mossad agents inside took Ahmadinejad to a secret safe house in Iran. The former president was reportedly agitated by the extraction method and appeared to lose faith in the Israeli plan to return him to power. He later left the safe house, and his whereabouts remain unclear.
American and Iranian sources involved in the operation, cited by the report, confirmed the Mossad involvement. The report follows a series of NYT investigations detailing Mossad's long-running effort to cultivate Ahmadinejad as a post-regime leader, including secret meetings and payments. The IRGC is reported to have placed Ahmadinejad under house arrest after the failed extraction, according to prior reports.
2 developments
- StrongNYT: Israel paid former Iranian president Ahmadinejad, attempted rescue on Operation Roaring Lion opening day
- DevelopingAhmadinejad met Mossad chief under alleged Israeli plan, now under arrest — report
- DevelopingNYT: Mossad Groomed Ahmadinejad as Post-Regime Leader, Smuggled Him Out of Tehran
- DevelopingFirst report: Mojtaba Khamenei abducted from Tehran hospital after father's assassination
Source and signal
- Internal intake