by Our Correspondent in Doha
Mossad chief David Barnea is reportedly urging Israeli leadership to target Iran directly in response to escalating Houthi attacks, diverging from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach of focusing on the Yemeni group itself. This debate reflects internal disagreements over how to handle the growing regional threat posed by Iran’s proxy network.
Barnea’s position, detailed in reports by Haaretz and Channel 13, stems from concerns about the limited impact of recent Israeli strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. The Mossad chief argued that targeting Iran, which arms and finances the Houthis, would be a more effective strategy. “We must go directly against Iran. If we just attack the Houthis, it is not certain that we will be able to stop them,” he reportedly stated.
Netanyahu, however, emphasized that addressing Iran is a separate priority to be tackled “in due course.” At a Hanukkah event, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his resolve to neutralize the Houthi threat, promising they would face the same fate as Israel’s other regional adversaries.
In the past 10 days, the Houthis have launched five ballistic missiles and at least five drones at Israel, escalating their campaign to support Hamas and pressure Israel. This intensification highlights Iran’s role in coordinating and funding regional proxies against Israeli interests.
Mossad has a long history of conducting covert operations against Iran and its allies, leveraging its reputation as one of the world’s most effective intelligence agencies. On 31 July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an Israeli attack. This high-profile operation highlighted Mossad’s ability to strike at high-value targets even in the heart of adversary territories.
Mossad’s efforts against Iran also include the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the architect of Iran’s nuclear program, carried out with a sophisticated remote-controlled weapon near Tehran. This killing significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In 2021, Mossad reportedly orchestrated a sabotage operation at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, causing extensive damage to centrifuges and disrupting uranium enrichment.
In addition to targeting nuclear scientists, Mossad has eliminated senior military figures linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, a senior Quds Force officer involved in planning overseas operations, was killed outside his home in Tehran in 2022 in an operation attributed to Mossad.
