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Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/19/irans-top-officials-underestimated-israels-reach/
Iran's Top Officials Underestimated Mossad's Reach - and Paid the Price
(Telegraph-UK) Akhtar Makoii - Iran's security chief Ali Larijani believed he would be safe at his daughter's house, 12 miles outside Tehran. And then 20 one-ton bombs were dropped on him. Hours later, Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary force, was tracked down to a combat tent in a wooded area on the outskirts of the capital with other Basij commanders. Ali Younesi, Iran's intelligence minister from 2000-2005, said competing intelligence agencies focused on the surveillance of domestic critics and fighting each other for bureaucratic advantage, instead of working together against foreign agents. The pattern of Israeli intelligence operations showed systematic infiltration that should have triggered comprehensive security reforms. But it did not. During this war, it has been discovered that Israeli intelligence has accessed Tehran's traffic camera network, using the surveillance system meant to protect the capital to track the movements of targets through the city. Iran has arrested hundreds on espionage charges and executed several, but officials acknowledge these actions are meant to "show that the system is still functioning" rather than addressing systematic infiltration. Every additional day of war gives Israeli intelligence more time to target surviving officials, recruit additional sources, and establish the infrastructure for post-war operations.