Israel strike may have been carried out by Mossad INSIDE Iran – it was about more than sending a message, says expert

ISRAEL’S strike on Iran could have been carried out by Tel Aviv spies as a way to send more than just a message of revenge, experts told The Sun.

Middle East analyst Yakov Katz and former British Army General Rupert Jones said the attack could have been carried out by Israel’s Mossad agency from inside Iran.

Israeli PM Netanyahu holds a security assessment at IDF headquarters with director of Shin Bet and Mossad in October last yearRex

Possible footage of the Israeli strike in Iran this morning (unverified footage)

Military personnel stand guard at a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran

Katz told The Sun: “We have to assume that this wasn’t about just sending a message. We can attack you in Iran… The Iranians know that.”

He said the strike goes beyond that, selecting a target important enough to “deter the Iranians” but one that is “not too big and not too important”.

This is to make sure Iran knows that what it did “is not tolerable” whilst preventing a “wider and more extensive conflict with Israel”.

And he says, assuming reports that the strike was carried out from inside Iran with drones is true, it could point to Israeli spies.

In the hours since Israel launched its precision strike against an Iranian military base, both countries have remained very quiet.

Neither Iranian nor Israeli officials have come out publicly to give confirmations or details about the early morning attack.

Plenty of speculation about the scale, scope and nature of Israel’s strike have swirled in the absence of explicit information.

The suggestion that Israeli intelligence agents launched the strike internally is one of those theories.

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It comes as…

• Israel launched a suspected drone attack around the Iranian city of Isfahan early this morning
• Iran activated its air defence batteries and temporarily grounded flights as it braced for impact
• Iranian state media desperately downplayed the attack this morning, insisting it was a failed strike that caused no damage
• US officials said Israel successfully hit at least one target
• Reported possible targets around the city included a nuclear base and an Iranian air force HQ
• International nuclear watchdog the IAEA said that no damage was sustained to the nuclear site
• More blasts were heard in southern Syria and Iraqi capital Baghdad – with no confirmation of Israeli origin
• Israel has so far made no comment confirming the strike
• Netanyahu’s war cabinet had reportedly told the US they would hold off an attack on Iran until the end of April

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“Assuming that this was drones and carried out from within Iranian territory, it would tell us two things.,” Katz told The Sun.

“Number one: This is not an Israeli Air Force strike, but this is likely something more of a covert operation, probably carried out by Israel’s Mossad, the equivalent of the MI6, and the CIA.

“So maybe done by Israeli agents or agents working on behalf of the Israeli Spy Agency.

“But it was done within Iran, and that’s meant to say, we’re not violating your airspace.”

By not breaking through Iranian airspace from Israel, he says those behind the attack are achieving the goal of retaliation while also containing the conflict.

“We’re not violating your sovereignty, but we are striking back, and and that could be a way of signalling: ‘Let’s keep it down,” Katz said.

“Let’s not increase the flames and the tension here. We’ve all gotten in our our hits, and now we can call it a day.'”

Former British Army general Rupert Jones also told The Sun that this morning’s reports could point to Israeli intelligence agents being involved.

Jones told The Sun: “Some of the language coming out of Iran says that there wasn’t an external attack, and there was talk of quad copters.

This, he explains, “might suggest that the attack was launched from inside Iran which might then point to Mossad”.

But Jones adds that amid a lack of clear official statements from both Israel and Iran, “we’re trying to join dots at the moment”.

Sworn enemies Iran and Israel batted threats back and forth for days before Israel struck out last night