How Israel and U.S. combined secret strikes and diplomacy on Iran during nuclear talks
Israel’s Mossad activated 100+ Iranian operatives, some equipped with a “special weapon” for precision attacks, a senior official said to the Washington Post
Israel carried out a highly coordinated covert operation targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists and facilities in the months leading up to June 2025, officials and sources familiar with the planning told The Washington Post.
Codenamed Operation Narnia, the mission combined intelligence gathering, precision strikes, and a carefully staged diplomatic strategy to maximize impact while minimizing international fallout.
Israeli intelligence initially identified 100 key nuclear scientists in Iran, ultimately narrowing the focus to roughly a dozen.
Detailed dossiers were compiled on each target, covering their research, movements, and personal lives. Despite careful planning, open-source investigations by Bellingcat and verification by The Washington Post indicate that 71 civilian casualties occurred in five strikes, highlighting the risks involved. Israeli officials emphasized that minimizing collateral damage was a central concern.
“One of the major considerations for the planning of Operation Narnia was to try to minimize as much as possible the collateral damage,” said a senior Israeli military intelligence officer.
The operation relied heavily on Israeli-trained Iranian agents, more than 100 of whom were equipped with a sophisticated three-part weapon system for precision strikes. Some components were recovered by Iranian authorities, but key elements remained undiscovered. “This operation is unprecedented in history,” said an Israeli official. “We mobilized our own assets to move close to Tehran before the Air Force could enter Iranian airspace.”
Operation Narnia unfolded alongside a calculated diplomatic narrative designed to give Iran the appearance of ongoing negotiations.
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited President Donald Trump at the start of his second term, he presented multiple scenarios for an Israeli strike, ranging from a fully independent campaign to full U.S.-Israeli cooperation. Trump, intent on allowing diplomacy a chance, engaged in intelligence sharing and operational planning with Israel, preparing for military escalation if talks failed.
Israeli and U.S. officials intentionally allowed the perception of a rift between Netanyahu and Trump to circulate, creating a smokescreen for planning. “All the reports that were written about Bibi not being on the same page with Witkoff or Trump were not true,” said one source. “But it was good that this was the general perception—it helped move on with the planning without many people noticing it.”
Even after strikes and targeted assassinations began, the U.S. made a final diplomatic offer to Tehran via Qatari intermediaries.
The proposal included steep conditions: Tehran would end support for proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas and dismantle key enrichment facilities, while the U.S. would lift all sanctions. Iran rejected the offer, after which President Trump authorized U.S. military strikes to complement Israel’s campaign.