'We know everything about you': Israel pressures Iran's commanders with threatening calls
Wall Street Journal reports that Israel has escalated pressure on Iran with direct calls to commanders, with messages such as: “You are on our blacklist… your destiny will be as your leader.”
Israeli intelligence operations targeting Iran have moved beyond airstrikes into direct psychological pressure on the country’s security leadership, with operatives reportedly contacting commanders individually to warn them against opposing potential uprisings, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report describes a coordinated effort to weaken Iran’s internal security apparatus not only through targeted killings and infrastructure strikes, but also by attempting to influence the decisions of commanders on the ground.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Israeli operatives have placed calls to Iranian security officials, warning them and their families by name and urging them to stand aside if unrest breaks out. The outreach appears designed to exploit growing strain within Iran’s security forces following weeks of sustained attacks.
In one recorded exchange reviewed by the newspaper, an operative identified as being from Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency delivered a direct warning to a senior Iranian police commander. “We know everything about you. You are on our blacklist, and we have all the information about you,” the agent said in Farsi, according to the report.
The operative continued: “I called to warn you in advance that you should stand with your people’s side… And if you will not do that, your destiny will be as your leader.”
The commander responded with apparent distress. “I swear on the Quran, I’m not your enemy… I’m a dead man already. Just please come help us,” he said.
The reported calls come as Israel intensifies its broader campaign against Iran’s leadership and security infrastructure. Recent strikes have killed senior figures and forced some units, including members of the Basij militia, to operate in more exposed conditions.
Thousands of individuals connected to Iran’s security forces have been killed in recent weeks, contributing to what sources describe as mounting pressure and signs of instability within the system.
Israeli and US officials have previously indicated that sustained military and intelligence pressure could create conditions for internal unrest in Iran.