Mossad inside Iran: How covert operations and drone bases powered Israel’s massive military strike

Dubai: In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched one of the most sweeping and sophisticated military operations in its history — a coordinated assault that reached deep into the heart of Iran.

According to reports from CNN and Axios, the unprecedented attack was not only an aerial onslaught, but a masterclass in intelligence-led warfare that neutralised Iran’s ability to strike back — at least immediately.

As Israel’s air force prepared to unleash its offensive, Iran’s top military brass scrambled to an underground bunker — a known protocol in moments of crisis.

But Israeli intelligence had anticipated the move. According to Axios, the bunker’s location had been identified in advance, and was destroyed in the opening moments of the attack.

Among the dead: The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force, along with the heads of Iran’s drone and air defence units.

“The fact that there was nobody to give the order neutralised an immediate Iranian response,” an Israeli official told Axios.

The first wave of strikes targeted more than two dozen senior Iranian commanders. In a calculated decapitation strike, the heads of the IRGC, Iran’s military, and its emergency response command were all killed — leaving a gaping hole in Tehran’s chain of command just as retaliation would have been ordered.

Iranian missile fire on Israel killed at least 10 people overnight, authorities said Sunday.

ALso Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that Washington “had nothing to do” with ally Israel’s intense bombardment campaign that was launched early Friday, targeting key military and nuclear sites in Iran.

But Trump threatened to launch “the full strength and might” if Iran attacks US interests, saying on his Truth Social platform that “we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!”

Israeli police said six people were killed and at least 180 injured at the site of an overnight missile strike in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

In the north of Israel, rescuers and medics said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-storey building in the town of Tamra, killing four women and taking the overall death toll in the country since Friday to 13.

The fresh attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit "every target of the ayatollah regime", and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw "a more severe and powerful response".

As calls for de-escalation grew, a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for Sunday was cancelled, with Iran saying it could not negotiate while under attack from Israel.

Behind the scenes, Mossad played a central — and deadly — role.

According to the CNN report, the Israeli intelligence agency had been operating inside Iran for months, if not years, laying the groundwork for this moment.

Hundreds of Mossad agents — both inside Iran and operating remotely — were activated. They included a covert network of Iranian nationals secretly working for the agency.

Mossad commandos had pre-positioned guided weapons in open areas near Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems. Elsewhere, weaponised vehicles concealed advanced technology, ready to strike when the attack began.

In one of its boldest moves yet, Mossad established an attack drone base inside Iranian territory. These drones were smuggled in and hidden well in advance. During the airstrikes, they were launched toward the Esfajabad base near Tehran, destroying ballistic missile launchers before they could be used.

The Israeli Air Force, with more than 200 aircraft involved in the operation, struck over 100 targets across Iran. Its success was built on Mossad's intelligence: Key radar sites and air defense systems had already been mapped and neutralized.

This gave Israel something it had never had before — virtual air supremacy over Iranian skies.

A senior Israeli intelligence official told Axios that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had prepared for a worst-case scenario involving the immediate launch of up to 500 ballistic missiles from Iran. But Iran, decapitated and disoriented, responded hours later with just around 100 drones, all of which were intercepted.

The IDF wasn’t done. On Friday, it continued striking Iranian ballistic missile facilities to prevent a larger counter-attack. Among the destroyed sites were dozens of launchers, weapons storage bunkers, and camouflaged installations.

At one target in western Iran, Israeli forces discovered a unique launch system hidden inside shipping containers — a chilling reminder of how prepared Iran was for an all-out war, and how close that war remains.

In response to the unprecedented Israeli strikes, Iran launched a second wave of missile attacks targeting Israeli territory late Saturday, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.

Iranian state media reported explosions in Haifa and other areas, with military sources claiming strikes on oil facilities and business centers.
The Iranian leadership condemned the Israeli offensive as a violation of international law and a dangerous precedent, emphasizing that their nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the attacks as an act of aggression fueled by US support, which Tehran denounced sharply.

Casualty reports from Iran remain grim. Iranian officials confirmed the deaths of dozens of military personnel, including senior commandersand hundreds wounded.

The strikes damaged critical infrastructure, including nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz and uranium conversion sites in Isfahan. Satellite imagery showed extensive destruction at these sites, potentially setting back Iran’s nuclear capabilities for weeks or months.

The conflict has also disrupted ongoing indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, with mediators confirming the postponement of a sixth round of negotiations.

As the region braces for further escalation, world leaders have urgently called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy to prevent a broader war. China’s Foreign Minister warned the strikes set a “dangerous precedent,” underscoring the fragile state of regional stability already strained by the prolonged conflict in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Iranian leaders have vowed revenge and a heavy price for Israel.