Israel Cultivated Ahmadinejad as Asset

Israel ran a secret operation to cultivate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset and a future leader for Iran. The former Iranian president has now been arrested and placed under house arrest by the Revolutionary Guards after his long-term, secret contact with Israel was exposed.

According to a New York Times report, the Mossad sought to cultivate Ahmadinejad as an intelligence asset and as a candidate to lead the country on the day after the regime’s fall. The operation included secret meetings abroad, among them a meeting in Budapest in 2024 between him and former Mossad chief David Barnea, and provided funding for travel and accommodations.

This past February, the Mossad even attempted to extract him from Tehran to a safe house, but the plan failed. Ahmadinejad left the location and was later captured by the authorities.