When Israeli warplanes roared into Iranian skies in June, striking Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, they were not alone. Dozens of Mossad women were already on the ground, embedded deep inside the Islamic Republic, a Jerusalem Post report reveals. Their roles remain classified, but Israeli officials now acknowledge their contributions were central to one of the most ambitious covert operations in the agency’s history.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Mossad Director David Barnea considers the involvement of female operatives “very substantial.” Their missions spanned everything from intelligence gathering to direct support for kinetic strikes — a far cry from the stereotypical image of espionage painted in novels and films.

The prominence of female agents in the Iran campaign underscores a generational shift within Israel’s storied spy service. In 2024, a senior Mossad officer known only as “G” — an Iranian-born expert in human intelligence and recruitment inside hostile states — was honored with the torch-lighting at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony. Her appearance signaled recognition, but also a message that women are now indispensable players in Israel’s shadow wars.

The role of women in the Mossad is not new. Author Michael Bar Zohar’s 2021 book The Mossad Amazons chronicled female operatives who manipulated officials, planted surveillance devices, and in some cases carried out targeted attacks. But insiders say the 2025 operation went further. Today’s Mossad women, they stress, are integrated into every aspect of the mission set — from cyber to sabotage to directing strikes from the ground.

Barnea oversaw a sweeping offensive, deploying hundreds of operatives — both Israelis and recruited Iranian dissidents — in tandem. The network’s targets included radar installations, missile sites, and the country’s three most critical nuclear facilities: Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. By the time Israeli fighter jets moved in, Mossad operatives had already cleared the path.

The results were devastating for Tehran. Iran managed to launch a counterstrike only on the second day of fighting, evidence, officials say, of how thoroughly its defenses had been penetrated.

Yet even as Israel celebrated tactical success, a dangerous ambiguity lingers. Roughly 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium — just shy of weapons-grade — survived the operation. In theory, that stockpile could be further refined into enough fissile material for half a dozen nuclear warheads.

Critics in Israel warn that the survival of the uranium meant Iran could sprint to a bomb within months. Defense officials have pushed back, arguing that without the destroyed infrastructure, Tehran would still need years to reconstitute a functioning weapons program.

Still, the Mossad has made clear it knows where the uranium is — and is prepared to act if the regime attempts to weaponize it. Western governments have tied looming sanctions decisions to Iran granting International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to that stockpile, a condition that will test Tehran’s willingness to de-escalate.

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