Mossad Director David Barnea’s image was framed as a “gadget-loving killing machine” long before he was accused by Hezbollah of wounding 3,000-4,000 of its operatives when thousands of their beepers, walkie talkies, and other electronic devices suddenly blew up on September 17-18.
Although he only became Mossad chief in June 2021, he was credited by many foreign observers as the architect of the assassination of Iran nuclear chief Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020 using a “star wars” style long-range remote control gun.
The impact of the electronic device explosions on Hezbollah did not just remove many operatives from the battlefield – although that in and of itself was substantial – it also disabled the organization’s national communications and paralyzed their ability to respond for several days.
It probably laid the groundwork for the assassination of Radwan special forces Chief Ibrahim Aqil and his sub-commanders, who may have been forced to congregate physically in one spot due to the breakdown in electronic communications.
All this created an optimal situation for the IDF to start its mass air strikes, bearing down on Hezbollah with the terror group on its hind legs.
The Mossad's new, and unchanging, goals
Already early in Barnea’s term, it was reported that he undertook a radical restructuring of the Mossad’s staffing and resources, empowering it to break new records using technology and creativity to combat Israel’s enemies; the fruits of that long-term visionary move will continue to be felt going forward.
But Barnea’s main role has remained combating Iran and its nuclear weapons program.
Under his leadership, the Mossad has thwarted over 50 Iran-sponsored attempted terror attacks against Jews worldwide this past year, at least double the preceding year, The Jerusalem Post exclusively reported last week.
While the world occasionally receives a glimpse into the clandestine world where Barnea and his spies operate, there are far more Iran-sponsored terror incidents thwarted by the Mossad, which the world will never get a whiff about.
In September 2023, Barnea revealed in a speech at Reichman University that the Mossad had thwarted an impressive 27 global terrorist incidents in foreign countries that Iran had planned against Jews and Israelis.
The fact that this number has at the very least doubled but that Barnea and the Mossad have kept pace in shutting down Tehran’s escalating ambitions to harm Jews shows the vast resources he has poured into that mission.
During Barnea’s tenure from April to June 2022, the Mossad publicly took credit for abducting Mansour Rasouli of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps global terrorist unit 840, in which they released video footage of him confessing to masterminding a terrorist plot against Jews in Turkey; the Mossad was accused by Iran of killing around a dozen nuclear scientists and terrorism officials.
In June 2023, the Mossad revealed that it had thwarted an Iranian terrorist attack on Jews in Cyprus by kidnapping the mastermind from within Iranian territory.
Outside of Iran, the Mossad, according to foreign sources, assassinated Sayyed Razi Mousavi in December 2023 and Mohammad Reza Zahedi on April 1, both top IRGC chiefs in Damascus.
Also, on July 31 this past summer, Iran attributed the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh to the Mossad.
In April, Iran publicly threatened to cross the threshold and develop nuclear weapons if Israel would dare to attack Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The Post understands that the Mossad saw the Islamic Republic’s public threat as a potential game changer, demonstrating that Iran was becoming even more dangerous and aggressive in the nuclear weapons arena.
Doubling down in the multifront battle against Iran
The Post learned that this has led the Mossad to double down in its multifront battle, regarding a variety of technological issues and disciplines, to block Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Unlike IDF intelligence chief Aharon Haliva, who quit in July-August because of his failure to stop Hamas’s October 7 invasion, and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, who has promised to quit too at some point, Barnea and the Mossad have been tasked with intelligence responsibility globally, but specifically not regarding Gaza. For that reason, no one has called for his resignation, and he is being judged more on his record regarding the above areas.
Regarding Hamas leaders, the Mossad has said it has a long arm and will get all of them, no matter where in the world they are hiding, for their role in the Oct. 7 slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages.
As reported by the Post, the statement made by Barnea in January, the day after Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated, still applies: “None of them are going to live.”
Barnea has made this an organizational and personal promise, which he is anxious to fulfill as soon as possible, not just in the distant future.
Working to return the remaining hostages
The Mossad chief has also been in the news regularly as Israel’s lead negotiator with Qatar to return the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Barnea succeeded by walking on an incredibly difficult tightrope to seal an agreement with Hamas in November 2023, which returned 84 Israeli hostages and 24 foreign hostages.
Since December 2023, he has continued to work hard with IDF Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon and others to return the remaining hostages.
Along with the IDF, the Shin Bet, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Mossad emphatically rejects the idea that the Philadelphi Corridor has the existential value that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attributed to it.
But he is also careful to blame Hamas for creating new conditions regarding the list of prisoners and hostages to be exchanged in any deal.
At the end of the day, even the chief of the Mossad cannot produce magic on his own when a stubborn messianic terrorist like Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar is the negotiator – but he has promised to never give up as long as there is even a ray of hope.