Allied Intelligence — 2026-07-23

Mossad and Shin Bet Disrupt Iranian Intelligence Ministry Plot to Infiltrate Israel and Attack Senior Officials

BLUFIsrael's public attribution of named Iranian intelligence officers signals a post-war campaign to degrade Tehran's proxy recruitment networks, though intact handler infrastructure in Iran ensures reconstitution capacity persists.

The Mossad and Shin Bet said Thursday they disrupted an Iranian Intelligence Ministry operation to infiltrate an operational cell into Israel to assassinate senior officials, using a "proxy by proxy" recruitment method to distance Tehran from the plot 12. According to a joint statement issued through the Prime Minister's Office, French national Tarout Ozkor, who used the alias "Philip," was recruited by two Iran-based intermediaries, Baba Mahu-Zadeh Haji Jafan ("Babak") and Ahmat Nadim Yigit ("Nadim"), to assemble a foreign-national cell and gather intelligence on a target inside Israel 23. The plot was uncovered and thwarted through cooperation among Israeli agencies and intelligence and security services from several foreign countries 12. The agencies named four Iranian Intelligence Ministry officers who directed the network, Adala Bahazada Uhsari, Vahid Maatzumi, Mahmoud-Hussein Duki, and Hamid Qasami, and said Uhsari was killed by Israel during the early-2026 war with Iran 13. France expelled Ozkor over his role in the plot, while Babak and Nadim remain in Iran and continue to operate 13.

Analysis
Mossad and Shin Bet's disclosure functions more as signaling than fresh threat reporting: naming Iranian Intelligence Ministry officers, confirming one battlefield kill, and publicizing the "proxy by proxy" tradecraft claims credit while Israel's intelligence advantage over Tehran's networks remains fresh from the war. Babak and Nadim's continued operation from Iran under Ministry protection indicates Tehran retains recruitment infrastructure despite this cell's exposure. Reporting traces to a single Mossad statement, with Israeli outlets publishing near-simultaneous secondary accounts rather than independent sourcing, and the roughly six-week gap between the presumed disruption and the announcement suggests the timing serves to sustain domestic and international pressure on Iran after the war rather than reflecting new operational urgency.

5 sources

Mossad foils Iranian plot to infiltrate Israel, target senior officials - The Jerusalem Post
Mossad reveals: Iranian terror plot to assassinate Israeli officials foiled - Israel National News
Mossad exposes Iran's plot to infiltrate hit squads and assassinate Israeli leaders - Ynet
Mossad says it foiled Iranian plot to infiltrate Israel, attack senior officials - Times of Israel
Mossad says it foiled Iranian plot to infiltrate Israel, attack senior officials - Mossad official statement (via Times of Israel liveblog)