Story perspectives

Israel Dismisses “Insane” Ahmadinejad Plot, Calls Report Fabricated

7/17/2026

Left

Eisenkot Dismisses Plot

Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot dismissed the alleged Israeli plot to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an insane idea.
David Barnea, director, oversaw a strike on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s home and a rescue to house, which the office calls fabricated.
Mossad officer Sagi Assulin warned that publishing details could jeopardize intelligence sources and state security.
Ahmadinejad’s office dismissed the reports as Hollywood-style, accusing the Times investigation of psychological warfare.

Right

Israel Funds Ahmadinejad

Israel allegedly arranged secret payments to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and a meeting with Mossad chief David Barnea in Budapest.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence placed Ahmadinejad under house arrest after detecting contacts with Israeli operatives.
Mossad officer Sagi Assulin warned that publishing details could jeopardize sources and Iran’s state security.
Ahmadinejad later attended Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran, concealed by clothing and tightly guarded.

History

Historical Context

In 2009, Israel’s covert cyber unit deployed the Stuxnet worm against Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant, temporarily crippling centrifuges. The operation, reportedly coordinated by Mossad and the United States’ NSA, infected roughly 1,000 computers and cost an estimated $10 million. Today’s alleged Israeli payments to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and alleged Mossad-led raids echo that earlier clandestine strategy of influencing Iran’s leadership. The precedent suggests future diplomatic fallout, heightened regional tension, and intensified scrutiny of covert operations by Tehran, Washington, and Jerusalem.

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Eisenkot Dismisses Plot

Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot dismissed the alleged Israeli plot to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as an insane idea.
David Barnea, director, oversaw a strike on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s home and a rescue to house, which the office calls fabricated.
Mossad officer Sagi Assulin warned that publishing details could jeopardize intelligence sources and state security.
Ahmadinejad’s office dismissed the reports as Hollywood-style, accusing the Times investigation of psychological warfare.

1 / 3