Nations with collective memory do not collapse simply because their enemies misunderstand them.

© Kevork’s Newsletter
One of the most revealing aspects of intelligence agencies is that they often tell you more about themselves than they intend to. Not through leaks, defections, or declassified documents, but through moments of self-congratulation. Moments when they believe they are demonstrating strength and sophistication, yet end up exposing the assumptions, fantasies, and misconceptions that drive their strategy.
That was my reaction when I came across an
article in Israel Hayom about a secret Mossad branch dedicated to influence operations against Iran.
And I want to begin with a necessary qualification, because the article itself was published in Israel Hayom, a deeply pro-Israeli outlet. Therefore, everything inside it has to be read carefully, not as neutral journalism, but as a window into how the Israeli security establishment wants to present itself, its successes, its failures, and its ongoing war of aggression against Iran. But precisely because of that, the article matters.
It reveals the mentality of the people planning this war. It reveals how Mossad thinks about Iranian society, how it understands psychological warfare, how it tries to manufacture political effects through media, scandals, fake accounts, influencers, and pressure campaigns, and perhaps most importantly,
how deeply Israel still believes in the fantasy that Iran can be broken from within.The central revelation in the article is that Mossad created an influence operations branch under David Barnea, who became Mossad director in 2021. Barnea led a broader reform that placed regime change in Iran much closer to the heart of Mossad's mission. According to the article, this branch was designed to understand public moods, media trends, social pressure points, and vulnerabilities inside Iran, and then weaponize them in ways that could weaken the Islamic Republic psychologically, politically, and socially. In other words, this was a complex political warfare disguised as classical intelligence work.
One of the cases used to illustrate this branch's activity was the operation against Rostam Ghasemi, a senior Iranian military and political figure who had served in the IRGC, fought in the Iran-Iraq War, later became influential in strengthening Iranian military capabilities, and remained close to important circles within the state. According to Israel Hayom, Mossad had obtained a photograph of Ghasemi in Malaysia years earlier, where he appeared with a woman who was not his wife and who was not wearing a hijab. The image was allegedly held for years and then leaked through Iran International during the 2022 protests, at a moment when the hijab issue was already politically explosive inside Iran. The objective, from Mossad's perspective, was to remove a seasoned figure from influence while simultaneously feeding the atmosphere of unrest.
Comment: Never an action without a plan. October 7: Israel's fake 'collapse' set the stage for all that came after including upcoming decisions. In that respect, it was an operational success.