Former Mossad chief: Iran nuclear archive raid 'dress rehearsal' held in Africa

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has disclosed that a critical "dress rehearsal" for the daring 2018 raid on Iran's secret nuclear archives was conducted in Africa. This revelation sheds new light on the clandestine operation that significantly altered the course of international relations.

The 2018 operation, which saw Mossad agents infiltrate the heavily guarded facility, seize entire bookshelves of original nuclear documents, and escape unharmed, was instrumental in then-US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The subsequent failure to reach a new agreement is widely viewed as a precursor to the conflicts that erupted with Iran in June 2025 and early 2026.

While details of the archive breach were extensively covered in the 2023 book "Target Tehran" and Cohen's own 2025 book "The Sword of Freedom," the location of the crucial dress rehearsal remained a closely guarded secret until now. The practice involved a full-scale model of the Iranian nuclear archive facility, complete with heavy steel safes requiring specialized equipment to breach.

The disclosure of the African rehearsal location, kept confidential for years due to security and diplomatic sensitivities, comes at a time when Iran's security and terror entities have reportedly suffered significant setbacks. The timing may also be linked to the recent signing of a new deal between second-term President Trump and Iran on June 17, following the earlier conflicts.