JERUSALEM — The Israeli Air Force’s strikes in Iran were prefaced by a number of covert operations spearheaded by Israel’s spy agency, including building a drone base inside of Iran, an Israeli security official said Friday.
The new details showcasing the extent of Israeli Mossad commandos’ involvement in the campaign — gleaned from a rare English language statement from the secretive outfit — highlight the extent of Israel’s planning and buildup behind Tel Aviv’s surprise attack targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and other sites.
In the statement, an Israeli security official described how Mossad sought to preemptively and covertly “neutralize Iranian air defense capabilities threatening Israeli fighter jets” by secretly installing strike systems and other advanced technologies on the platforms, which were then destroyed at the outset of Tel Aviv’s operations Friday.
