New Mossad chief hints at more assassinations, attacks against Iran

Israel would not be passive simply because the majority of the world was willing to look the other way on Iran’s nuclear program.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with outgoing Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and incoming Mossad chief David Barnea at a farewell event for Cohen, May 31, 2021. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with outgoing Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and incoming Mossad chief David Barnea at a farewell event for Cohen,  (photo credit: KOBY GIDEON/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with outgoing Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and incoming Mossad chief David Barnea at a farewell event for Cohen, May 31, 2021. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with outgoing Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and incoming Mossad chief David Barnea at a farewell event for Cohen,
(photo credit: KOBY GIDEON/GPO)
Incoming Mossad director David Barnea on Tuesday gave a threatening speech against Iran, alluding to potential future assassinations of its nuclear scientists and attacks on its nuclear facilities.
"The Iranian [nuclear] program will continue to be met with the full power of the long arm of the Mossad," Barnea said. "We are very familiar with the different components of the nuclear program and we are very familiar personally with the officials involved in it and also with the officials who direct them.”
Though most of Barnea’s statements below were distributed to The Jerusalem Post and other outlets by the Prime Minister’s Office, the above veiled threat was reported by Yediot Aharonot.
The incoming Mossad chief said that, “Iran is acting even at this very moment to realize its nuclear vision, under international auspices. Using the [nuclear] deal and without it, with lies and with concealment, Iran is more advanced than ever toward developing a weapon for genocidal destruction.”  
He said that the spy agency would undertake a mix of operations and the use of advanced technologies – likely a reference to cyber attacks among other capabilities – to keep the Islamic Republic in check.
Barnea thanked Cohen, adding that some real-time comments Cohen made during operations had made a huge and fateful difference and that his personal contribution had been critical.
Further, he said that Israel would not be passive simply because the majority of the world was willing to look the other way on Iran’s nuclear program.
“We will not act according to the idea that ‘majority rules’ [among the nations] since that same majority will not be stuck with paying the price for their mistaken evaluation of the threat,” he stated as reported by Yediot.