Shake-up follows an unimplemented intelligence operation involving Iranian Kurdish opposition forces

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (Worthy News) – Mossad Director Roman Gofman has reportedly removed two senior intelligence officials connected to an unsuccessful plan aimed at helping bring down Iran’s Islamic regime, marking another major leadership shake-up since he took command of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.

The officials were identified by Israel’s Channel 12 as the head of the Mossad’s Intelligence Directorate and the head of its Iran Desk, according to Israel National News. Both men reportedly played central roles in developing an operational plan intended to weaken the Iranian government and create conditions for its collapse.

The proposal was reportedly presented to U.S. President Donald Trump but was never fully implemented. Although the departures were officially described as being reached by mutual agreement, Israeli defense officials reportedly view the move as an effort to hold senior officers accountable for the plan’s failure.

Reports also suggested that Gofman had developed a strained working relationship with the two officials after assuming leadership of the Mossad in June. However, sources said the timing of their removal was closely connected to the agency’s frustrated efforts against Tehran rather than merely a matter of personal chemistry.

Kurdish Forces Were Expected to Pressure Tehran

The broader intelligence operation reportedly involved Iranian Kurdish militias based across the border in northern Iraq. The groups were expected to open another front against Tehran, seize territory in western Iran, and potentially encourage a larger uprising against the Islamic Republic.

Reuters reported in March that Israel had been consulting Iranian Kurdish factions for roughly a year about possible operations inside Iran. Kurdish leaders sought weapons, air support, and security guarantees from Washington and Jerusalem before launching a major offensive.

Israel National News reported that Kurdish fighters were later supplied with financial assistance, vehicles, small arms, anti-tank weapons, grenades, and mortar shells—including weapons previously captured from Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The CIA was also reportedly involved in parts of the effort.

The plan stalled, however, as Kurdish leaders feared Iranian retaliation and Washington failed to provide a clear commitment. Reuters later reported that Iran intensified threats and attacks against Kurdish positions while political resistance from Turkey and Iraq further complicated the proposed operation.

According to the Israeli report, Trump ultimately canceled the joint operation following pressure from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long opposed the arming of Kurdish groups because of concerns that such support could strengthen Kurdish separatist movements across the region.

Gofman Reshaping Israel’s Intelligence Service

Gofman, a former Israeli military general who came to the Mossad from outside the agency, has moved rapidly to reorganize its senior ranks since taking office on June 2.

Within days of his inauguration, Gofman removed the agency’s deputy director, a veteran intelligence officer who had served for more than two decades. Israeli reports offered competing explanations for that decision, with some sources tying it to failed regime-change efforts and others saying Gofman wanted to establish loyalty among the Mossad’s senior command.

The latest dismissals appear to reinforce Gofman’s determination to impose his own strategy on the agency as Israel continues confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile program, and regional terror network.

At his inauguration, Gofman said the Mossad would continue developing new capabilities and strategies capable of surprising Israel’s enemies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him that Israel’s struggle against the Iranian regime remained unfinished and charged him with ensuring that Tehran could no longer threaten the Jewish state.

Former Mossad officials have maintained that the plan to undermine the Iranian government was interrupted rather than conclusively defeated. One former senior officer told Channel 12 in June that the operation had been designed as a long-term, multistage campaign but was halted when the United States ended the fighting before every phase could be implemented.

The reported removals nevertheless reveal the enormous difficulty of translating military pressure and covert intelligence operations into political change inside Iran. Tehran’s ruling system has survived repeated waves of domestic protests, economic distress, Israeli intelligence penetration, and devastating military strikes.

For Israel, however, the danger presented by the Iranian regime remains existential. Regardless of internal disagreements over methods or personnel, the Mossad’s central mission against Tehran is unlikely to change.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.