Israel launched a barrage of strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear program earlier this month — sparking off a ’12 day war’ and raising the potential for an all-out conflict in the Middle East. The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in the initial attack alongside multiple nuclear scientists and other military officials. But as bombs struck multiple sites across Tehran and Iran readied its retaliation, Israeli operatives are believed to have launched a covert operation to isolate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to a Washington Post report, Persian-speaking operatives within the Israeli security services had reached out to senior Iranian operatives on their cellphones on June 13. The covert intimidation campaign was launched hours after the first wave of strikes against Tehran and sought to destabilise the theocratic regime. Reports indicate that there were ‘dozens’ of ominous phone calls to top Iranian generals earlier this month — warning them to escape or face death.
Call transcripts obtained by the publication showed an Israeli agent offering an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general a 12-hour “reprieve”. The Iranian official was told to make a video dissociating himself from the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led government during this time. The clip was to be sent to the operative via Telegram.
“I can advise you now, you have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child. Otherwise, you’re on our list right now,” an Israeli intelligence operative told a senior Iranian general close to the country’s rulers, according to the audio recording. The operative then suggested that Israel could train weapons on the general and his family at any moment. “We’re closer to you than your own neck vein. Put this in your head. May God protect you,” the agent can be heard saying.
It was not immediately clear whether this video clip was ever made and sent to Israeli agents. Sources told the publication that the Iranian general in question was still alive and remained in Iran.