Mossad Director Roman Gofman has removed two of Israel's foreign intelligence agency's most senior officials from their posts following an incomplete operation aimed at destabilizing Iran's regime, prompting sharp criticism from within the organization about the precedent set by the removals.
The dismissed officials are the head of the Mossad's Intelligence Directorate, who had served in that role since December, and the head of the agency's Iran Division. Both were involved in operational planning to lead to the collapse of the Iranian regime and were among the leaders of the plan.
The two officials were among the architects of a written operational plan to bring down the Islamic Republic with the help of Iran's minority groups, encouraging revived mass protests to oust the regime. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly discussed the plan when persuading US President Donald Trump to go to war in February against the Islamic Republic. According to reports, the Mossad plan reportedly envisioned Israeli strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps positions along Iran's border with Iraq, in Iranian Kurdistan, designed to open the door for Kurdish fighters to cross into Iran and push into Kurdish cities in the country's northwest.
Though Mossad sources characterized the departures as a mutual agreement following personality clashes between Gofman and the two officials, their dismissal is not by chance, according to Israeli television reporting.
The internal criticism of Gofman's decision emerged publicly Thursday on Israeli public television. A former senior Mossad official, speaking on condition of anonymity, argued that the removals represent an unprecedented breach of organizational standards and signaled concern about long-term damage to the agency's culture.
The former official disputed the characterization of the operation as a "failure." According to his account, the organizational plan was requested by the political level as an accompanying measure to operational military actions and was approved at all levels. The operation in question did not fail, but was not fully executed for various reasons. He emphasized that he did not recall an event in which a department head was removed over an operation failure that was not conducted intentionally.
The critic stressed the seriousness of the precedent Gofman is setting. He said the incident does not reach even the bottom of the organizational ethical standards of the Mossad. Describing the red lines crossed by the removals, he added that if people fear expressing their opinions, the organization would be hollow.
The former official's most significant concern centered on the organizational implications. He warned that if the organization cannot plan using all the tools at its disposal—specifically, people—it will become a weak and mediocre organization. "It doesn't have tanks or planes, only people," he stressed.
The removals mark Gofman's most significant reshuffling since his appointment as Mossad director in June 2026. Within days of his inauguration, Gofman removed the agency's deputy director, a veteran intelligence officer who had served for more than two decades. Israeli reports offered varying explanations for that earlier removal, with some sources linking it to the failed regime-change efforts while others said Gofman was establishing loyalty among senior command.
The latest dismissals appear to reinforce Gofman's determination to impose his own strategy on the agency as Israel continues confronting Iran's nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile program, and regional terror network. At his inauguration, Gofman said the Mossad would continue developing new capabilities and strategies capable of surprising Israel's enemies. Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's struggle against Iran remained central to the agency's mission.
Officially, the Mossad and security officials connected to the announcement characterized the removals differently. Security officials told media that neither official had developed a good working relationship with Gofman from the outset and that their tenures would end by mutual agreement. Both could remain in the Mossad in other positions.
