The director of Israel's Mossad has removed two of the intelligence agency's most senior officials over their role in an unsuccessful plan to bring down the government in Tehran, Israeli media reported Thursday.
According to Channel 12 news, cited by The Times of Israel, one of the officials had served since December as head of the Mossad's intelligence directorate and the other led the agency's Iran division. Neither was publicly identified. Anadolu Agency reported that there was no immediate official Israeli comment on the dismissals.
Mossad Director Roman Gofman took over the agency earlier this year. Security sources told Channel 12 that his relationship with both officials had been strained from the start and that the removals were part of a wider organizational shake-up, Anadolu reported.
Channel 12 said the two men were among the architects of a written operational plan to topple the Islamic Republic with the support of Iran's minority groups, encouraging a return to mass protests against the government, according to The Times of Israel. The broadcaster said the plan was developed in coordination with the United States and envisioned backing for opposition groups under Israeli and American air cover.
The proposal was discussed at senior levels of the Israeli government but was never carried out, Anadolu reported, citing Channel 12. The effort stalled at an early stage, leading to the plan being shelved and those responsible held accountable.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged in March that removing the Iranian government would be difficult, saying it was not certain to happen, according to Anadolu.
The reported dismissals come as Tehran announces further arrests of people it accuses of working for Israeli intelligence. Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said it had detained 21 people in Kerman province on suspicion of gathering information on military and air defense sites, without identifying them or presenting evidence.