The former head of the Mossad, David Barnea, revealed that Israel deliberately published photographs of its agents who operated inside Iran during the 12-day war, so that the Iranian security forces would make mass arrests and make it difficult to identify actual Israeli operatives. Barnea noted that Iranian authorities arrested about 21,000 people on the second day of the conflict, which created confusion that eventually led to their release. He also said that some people executed in Iran for supposedly working with the Mossad had no connection to the agency, while 99.9 percent of its real agents remained unidentified. Barnea says that some of those activists continue to live in Tehran.

The former head of the Mossad, David Barnea, revealed that Israel deliberately published photographs of its agents who operated inside Iran during the 12-day war, so that the Iranian security forces would make mass arrests and make it difficult to identify actual Israeli operatives. Barnea noted that Iranian authorities arrested about 21,000 people on the second day of the conflict, which created confusion that eventually led to their release. He also said that some people executed in Iran for supposedly working with the Mossad had no connection to the agency, while 99.9 percent of its real agents remained unidentified. Barnea says that some of those activists continue to live in Tehran.