Mossad

Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence agency, was established on December 13, 1949, with the aim of ensuring the security and existence of Israel as a safe haven for Jews worldwide. It is often seen as a safeguard against another Holocaust, with agents authorized to gather intelligence and carry out targeted operations.

In 1954, Mossad conducted Operation Bren to abduct Major Alexander Israel, who attempted to sell Israeli military secrets to Egyptian officials. The mission involved a female agent using a honey trap operation to lure him to a meeting in Vienna, where he was kidnapped, sedated, and flown to Israel. Unfortunately, he died due to an overdose of sedatives during the flight.

In 1956, Mossad's successful operation in obtaining a top-secret document from Moscow, denouncing Joseph Stalin, showcased its capabilities. This event led to a strong intelligence partnership between Mossad and the CIA.

In 1957, Mossad spy Wolfgang Lotz, with West German citizenship, infiltrated Egypt to gather intelligence on missile sites, military installations, and industries, as well as German rocket scientists working for the Egyptian government.

In 1960, Mossad located Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. A team of agents successfully abducted him, brought him to Israel for trial and execution. This operation caused diplomatic tensions with Argentina and raised concerns at the United Nations Security Council.

In September 1962, Heinz Krug, chief of a Munich company supplying military hardware to Egypt, disappeared and is believed to have been assassinated.

In an attempt to kill SS-Hauptsturmführer and concentration camp doctor Hans Eisele, a Mossad mail bomb detonated early, killing a postal worker instead.

Eli Cohen, an Israeli secret agent who infiltrated the Syrian government, was discovered and executed in 1965, highlighting the risks involved in Mossad's covert operations.

On May 25, 1967, Mossad director Meir Amit reported to the Israeli cabinet that the United States had given Israel a 'flickering green light' to attack, after a tense confrontation with the CIA Tel Aviv station chief.

In 1969, the smuggling of five Sa'ar 3-class missile boats out of Cherbourg took place.

On July 21, 1973, Ahmed Bouchiki, a Moroccan waiter in Lillehammer, Norway, was mistakenly killed by Mossad agents who thought he was Ali Hassan Salameh. This incident led to the arrest of six Mossad agents and the payment of compensation to Bouchiki's family.

The Mossad provided intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces' mission, rescuing Jewish and Israeli hostages from terrorist hijackers at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

Wadie Haddad, allegedly targeted by Mossad, died from leukemia in the German Democratic Republic after consuming Belgian chocolates coated with a slow-acting poison sent by Mossad.

On April 1, 1978, 12 Syrian military and secret service personnel were killed by a booby trapped sophisticated Israeli listening device planted on the main telephone cable between Damascus and Jordan.

On April 5, 1979, Mossad agents triggered an explosion destroying 60 percent of components being built in Toulouse for an Iraqi reactor. The reactor itself was later destroyed by an Israeli air strike in 1981.

Yehia El-Mashad, the head of the Iraq nuclear weapons program, was killed in 1980.

John Le Carre's novel 'The Little Drummer Girl', published in 1983, describes a fictional Mossad operation against Palestinian terrorists.

Mossad agents were caught trying to kidnap Nigerian politician Umaru Dikko from London. They were discovered at Stansted airport with Dikko in a crate about to be flown to Nigeria.

In 1986, Mossad used an undercover agent to lure Mordechai Vanunu from the United Kingdom to Italy in a honey trap style operation. Vanunu was abducted and returned to Israel, where he was found guilty of treason for exposing Israel's nuclear weapons program.

The TV movie 'The Impossible Spy', released in 1987, portrays the life of top Mossad spy Eli Cohen.

After the trial and conviction of a Palestinian student linked to Mossad, two Mossad agents, Arie Regev and Jacob Barad, were expelled from the UK. The agents failed to disclose the student's activities to MI6.

In March 1990, Canadian engineer Gerald Bull, working on the Project Babylon supergun for Iraq, was shot multiple times outside his Brussels apartment. Mossad is alleged to be responsible for his killing, although there are alternative theories involving the CIA, Iraq, and Iran.

Atef Bseiso, a top intelligence officer of the PLO, was allegedly killed in Paris in 1992.

In Jeffrey Archer's novel 'Honour Among Thieves', published in 1993, the lead female protagonist is a Mossad agent.

Following the 1994 AMIA bombing, Mossad collected intelligence for a planned Israeli Special Forces raid on the Iranian embassy in Khartoum as retaliation. The operation was called off due to concerns about potential reprisal attacks on Jewish communities worldwide.

In February 1998, five Mossad agents were caught wiretapping the home of a Hezbollah agent in a Bern suburb. One agent was tried, found guilty, sentenced to prison, and banned from entering Switzerland.

General Anatoly Kuntsevich, suspected of aiding the Syrians in the manufacture of VX nerve-gas, died mysteriously during a plane journey in April 2002 amid allegations that Mossad was responsible.

In July 2004, New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel after two Australia-based Israelis, allegedly working for Mossad, attempted to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports by claiming the identity of a severely disabled man. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom later apologized for their actions.

In September 2004, Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil, a senior member of the military wing of Hamas, was killed in an automobile booby trap in Damascus.

The film 'Munich', released in 2005, depicts Mossad agents' retaliation against Black September following the events of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 2006, the Lebanese army uncovered a network that allegedly assassinated several Lebanese and Palestinian leaders on behalf of Mossad.

On July 25, 2007, the al-Safir chemical weapons depot exploded, killing 15 Syrian personnel and 10 Iranian engineers. Syrian investigations blamed Israeli sabotage.

In 2008, Muhammad Suleiman, head of Syria's nuclear program, was allegedly killed by a sniper firing from a boat while on a beach in Tartus.

Lebanese Security Services, supported by Hezbollah's intelligence unit, collaborated with Syria, Iran, and possibly Russia to crack down on a spy network allegedly working for Israel.

In January 2010, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas military commander, was killed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The assassination was carried out by a team of at least 26 agents suspected to be from Mossad, who used bogus passports and subjected al-Mabhouh to electric shocks and interrogation.

In early August 2010, the decomposed body of Yuri Ivanov, the deputy head of the GRU, Russia's foreign military intelligence service, was found on a Turkish beach amid allegations involving Mossad.

In the TV series 'The Blacklist', premiered in 2013, Mossad agent Samar Navabi is one of the side characters.

In November 2015, Mossad and MI5 agents were reportedly involved in providing additional security cover to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Turkey. This move was in response to heightened security concerns after the Paris attacks.

On August 5, 2018, Aziz Asbar, a senior Syrian scientist responsible for developing long-range rockets and chemical weapons programs, was killed in a car bomb in Masyaf, with Mossad being accused of involvement.

The film 'The Red Sea Diving Resort', released in 2019, is loosely based on the events of Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, where Ethiopian Jews were covertly moved from refugee camps in Sudan to Israel.

In 2020, a documentary about Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, was produced by Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion for ZDF in association with ZDF Enterprises.

In September 2022, Malaysian Mossad operatives attempted to kidnap two Palestinian computer experts. One was kidnapped, but the other escaped and alerted Malaysian police. This incident revealed an undercover Mossad cell in Malaysia.

A collection of intriguing facts about the Mossad spy agency of Israel, guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.

Radical Islamic terror is currently identified as one of the major challenges encountered by Mossad.

In March 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declined a plan proposed by Mossad for a potential agreement with Hamas regarding hostages in Gaza.