Reports Allege Mossad Cultivated Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad as Potential Post-Regime Leader

The New York Times reported on Monday, citing American, Israeli and Iranian officials, that Israel spent years cultivating former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a possible post-regime-change leader, an effort Arab News and Al Arabiya said ultimately failed 12. Then-Mossad chief David Barnea met Ahmadinejad in Budapest during trips in 2024 and 2025 arranged under cover of academic conferences at Ludovika University, and Israel provided him funds for housing and travel 1. Israeli operatives allegedly moved Ahmadinejad to a safe house after a February 28 Israeli strike on his compound, which targeted his bodyguards' building and armored vehicle, during the opening days of the US-Israeli war with Iran, part of a reported extraction attempt that did not succeed; associates said he grew disillusioned with the rescue operation and Israel's regime-change plan before leaving the safe house 12. Four senior Iranian officials told the Times that Ahmadinejad is now under house arrest in IRGC intelligence custody after authorities uncovered his contacts with Israel, and he later resurfaced publicly at Ali Khamenei's funeral 2; Ahmadinejad has denied working with Israeli intelligence and called the reporting "psychological warfare" 3.