Türkiye disrupted the plan; Mossad faces a purge

Mossad plan reportedly targeted IranThe conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 was accompanied by efforts to create internal instability inside the country. According to Israeli media reports cited in the debate, Mossad had prepared a strategy involving Kurdish armed groups in northern Iraq and inside Iran, with the aim of coordinating their activity with Israeli air operations.

The reported objective was to generate an uprising against the Iranian government while military pressure was being applied from the air. Israeli reports now indicate that the strategy was not put into operation, while the subsequent dispute has intensified criticism of Mossad and the Netanyahu government.

Erdoğan raised the issue with Trump

Türkiye became involved after signs of increased activity by PKK and PJAK-linked elements emerged in northern Iraq and across the Iranian border, according to the reports. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have raised the issue directly with US President Donald Trump during a phone call in early March.

Ankara reportedly warned against allowing terrorist organizations to become part of the Iran conflict and reiterated its position in favor of Iran’s territorial integrity. Subsequent US media reports suggested that Trump became reluctant to support the use of Kurdish groups inside Iran and grew more skeptical of a regime-change proposal presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said Türkiye had played an active role in preventing the reported initiative from proceeding.

Two Mossad officials dismissed

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that two senior Mossad officials associated with the regime-change strategy were removed from their positions roughly six months after the reported plan was developed. Israeli media said Netanyahu had backed the proposal and presented it to Trump.

The reported dismissals have triggered an internal debate over whether Mossad officials are being held responsible for a strategy that ultimately depended on US approval. A Mossad source quoted by Maariv argued that the plan itself had not failed because it was never implemented, saying the decisive factor was Trump’s refusal to approve it.

The source also accused Israel’s political leadership of shifting responsibility for shortcomings in the war onto the intelligence service, describing the impact on Mossad as severe.

Netanyahu faces questions over responsibility

The dispute has also focused attention on Roman Gofman, the current Mossad chief. A former Mossad official claimed that Gofman had been involved in discussions surrounding the strategy during his previous tenure as Netanyahu’s military secretary and had supported the proposal.

His subsequent decision to take action against officials associated with the plan has therefore generated questions within Israeli security circles. One Mossad source told Maariv that the operation could not proceed because of the US president’s decision and argued that Netanyahu had not challenged that decision.

The same source described growing frustration within Mossad and said some officials viewed the dismissals as an attempt to shield Netanyahu politically ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 elections.

Regional strategy sparks wider fallout

The reported collapse of the Iran strategy has consequences beyond the intelligence service itself. Israeli media coverage points to growing friction between Netanyahu’s government and parts of the security establishment over responsibility for the outcome.

For Türkiye, the episode also highlights Ankara’s opposition to the use of terrorist organizations in regional conflicts and its emphasis on preserving Iran’s territorial integrity. The reports suggest that the dispute over the failed strategy has simultaneously complicated Netanyahu’s relationship with the Trump administration and deepened an internal Israeli reckoning over the conduct of the Iran war.

Three birds were killed with one stone

The Mossad plan for Iran—which could not be executed due to Türkiye's intervention—not only affected the strategy regarding Tehran and drove a wedge between the Trump administration and Netanyahu, but ultimately also shook the trust between Israel's political leadership and its security institutions. Reports in the Israeli media indicate that a deep reckoning has begun between the Netanyahu government and security agencies over who bears responsibility for the failure.