Mossad

#Mossad

Here’s a comprehensive overview of Mossad, Israel’s renowned foreign intelligence agency:

What is Mossad?

Full Name: Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations

Founded: December 13, 1949 

Headquarters: Tel Aviv; reports directly to the Prime Minister 

Size & Budget: ~7,000 personnel, ~$2.7–3 billion annual budget—making it one of the largest spy agencies after the CIA

Main Roles & Responsibilities

Foreign Intelligence Gathering: Collection of information outside Israel 

Covert and Assassination Operations: Including sabotage and targeted killings 

Counterterrorism & Special Missions: Notably Operation Entebbe support in 1976 

Organizational Structure & Units

Tzomet: Field officers (katsas) managing agents globally

Caesarea: Special missions, including Kidon (assassination unit) 

Keshet: Signals interception

Metsada: Covert combat-sabotage operations

Uses Sayanim: volunteer ‘helpers’ worldwide for logistics 

Notable Historical Operations

Capture of Adolf Eichmann (Argentina, 1960) 

Operation Entebbe (Uganda, 1976): Kurdish-Israeli rescue intel support

Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists & sabotage of Iranian facilities

Dubai operation (2010): Alleged targeted killing of Hamas commander al-Mabhouh 

Iran strikes (June 2025): Drone and sabotage support inside Iran for “Operation Rising Lion” 

Recent Highlights

Israel released footage displaying Mossad agents inside Iran assembling drones and preparing sabotage targets—supporting coordinated airstrikes 

Operation Rising Lion: Integration of AI systems, drone logistics, and psychological operations like warning phone calls to top Iranian officials 

Controversies & Challenges

Legal questions: Use of fake passports, extrajudicial killings, mistaken targets (e.g. Lillehammer affair, Norway 1973) 

Operational flaws: Failure to anticipate Hamas attack on October 7 revealed gaps in intelligence oversight 

International Scrutiny: UN and global reaction to collateral damage from covert actions

Strategic Importance Today

Mossad remains at the forefront of Israel’s defense policy—combining human intelligence (HUMINT), cyber & technical capabilities, and direct action to counter regional threats, particularly from Iran and its proxies.

Key Takeaways

A highly capable intelligence agency with global reach.

Blends espionage, targeted action, and technological sophistication.

Faces legal and moral scrutiny over aggressive tactics, but retains strategic value in Israel’s national security framework.