Mossad Director Gofman removes two senior officials over failure to replace Iranian regime - report

Mossad Director Roman Gofman has dismissed two senior officials, including the head of the agency's Intelligence Directorate and the chief of its Iran division, reportedly due to the failure of a plan to replace Iran's regime. The departures come after the officials, whose names were not released, took up their posts in December and had not developed a strong working relationship with Gofman, according to security officials cited by N12.

While described by officials as part of a mutual agreement and a broader reorganization within the intelligence agency, N12 directly linked the dismissals to a regime-change proposal. This secret Mossad-CIA plan allegedly involved Kurdish ground forces entering Iran with extensive Israeli and American air cover. The objective was to facilitate the removal of the current Islamic Republic leadership and install alternative Iranian figures.

According to N12, the plan was presented to U.S. President Donald Trump but was not implemented on the ground. The report stressed that the departing officials had made significant contributions to Israel's security, but Gofman apparently believed accountability was necessary after the plan's failure. The report also noted that the plan had a specific candidate in mind: former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The New York Times previously reported that Israel and the U.S. had identified Ahmadinejad as a potential leader for a post-regime-change Iran, a plan initially developed by Israel and discussed with him. However, the operation reportedly began to unravel on its first day when an Israeli airstrike, intended to free Ahmadinejad from house arrest, wounded him instead. This incident subsequently led Ahmadinejad to express doubts about the plan, according to N12.

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Neither official had developed a good working relationship with Gofman from the outset and that their tenures would end by mutual agreement.