The head of Israel’s Mossad, David Barnea, sent a stark warning to Iran’s top leaders at a counterterrorism conference in Herzliya, Israel, on Sunday. Voicing his concern about the growing military alliances between the Iranian regime and Russia, Barnea explained how this partnership threatens Israel.
There were many headlines out of this address, but I am going to break it into three categories you need to know about:
- Number one — Barnea stated that since the beginning of this year, the Mossad has broken up no less than 27 Iranian terror plots against Israelis and Jews around the world.
- Number two — He levied what I consider to be a direct threat at the Iran regime, specifically, what he called the “highest echelon” of Iran’s leadership.
- Number three — Barnea voiced great concern about a growing military alliance between the Iranian regime and Russia, the quid pro quo, and how it directly threatens the State of Israel.
Let’s start with David Barnea’s comments about the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime, and their 27 plots across the globe targeting Jews since January 1, 2023. Barnea explained that these plots and the directives are directly “handed down by the Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Khomeini. So that’s one big takeaway.
Think of the global reach of these plots. Just off the top of my head, over the past few months, terror plots have been broken up in Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. Barnea said the 27 plots thwarted this year constitute a noticeable uptick.
The Iranian regime is growing more bold and more determined in its attempts to strike Israeli and Jewish interests around the world.
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This brings us to the second point, Barnea levied what I consider a direct threat to Iran’s regime. He said:
Iran continues to pursue terror under the cover of proxy teams, and luckily for the Iranians, their plots have been foiled. Why do I say luckily for the Iranians? Because so far, we have only laid our hands on the operatives and commanders behind the plots.
I would like to take advantage of this podium to state that any harm done to any Israeli or Jew in any way whatsoever, and I mean in any way whatsoever, via proxy or Iranian alike, will elicit a response against the Iranians who dispatched the terrorists and the policy makers who authorized the terror units to carry out the plots, from the bottom all the way up to the top. I mean what I say. The price will be exacted from TRI deep inside Iran, in the heart of Tehran.
Our message is loud and clear, and determined: Make no mistake, those of you who decided to dispatch the teams. Be assured that we will get to you, and justice will be done for all to see. This has been proven in the past, and in the future, we will ramp it up to the next level.
Barnea made it very clear that Israel will be targeting the handlers of terror cells and also the handlers of the handlers. That means what he called the “highest echelon” of the Iranian regime “in the very heart of Tehran.”
So, the regime is clearly on notice, not that they’ve gotten the memo in the past. Nonetheless, folks look at the track record. In November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head of Iran’s nuclear program—really, the godfather of Iran’s nuclear weapons program—was eliminated on Iranian soil by the Mossad. And he wasn’t the first.
The Iranian regime is clearly determined to continue its wicked behavior. For instance, the country plans to continue establishing a military foothold in Syria from which they can launch attacks against Israel. The more Israel strikes Iran and weakens them there, the more Iran seems to redouble its efforts. So again, the Iranian regime isn’t really good about learning lessons and listening closely when Israel lays out what the consequences are for terror.
Barnea also made what I consider to be a very important statement about the Iran-Russia Alliance—and make no mistake, this is a formal military alliance.
The Iranian regime is equipping Russia with hundreds, if not thousands at this point, of the Shahed-136 drones, which are attack drones that Russia has used to lethal effect in the Ukraine war. There have been reports over the months that Iran has also been considering sending short-range and long-range missiles to Russia, and Barnea confirmed that during his speech:
The first factor feeding Iran’s over-inflated ego is the assistance it has been giving Russia through the sale of UAVs. We know that the Iranians were planning to sell Russia short-range and long-range missiles too, but this deal has been interdicted. I have a feeling that more deals will be interdicted soon. We are concerned that the Russians will meet Iran’s demands to supply it with weapons and raw materials that will put Israel at risk.
The Iranian regime is not supplying Russia with weaponry out of the goodness of its heart. It expects something in return. Barnea stated his belief that Russia could very well supply Iran with a kind of advanced weaponry that directly threatens the existence of the world’s one and only Jewish state. Folks, this is the head of Israel’s Mossad voicing this concern.
Obviously, Iran is not supplying weapons and assisting Russia in Ukraine expecting nothing in return. The same is true with North Korea. Kim Jong Un met with Russia this week to discuss more military cooperation between the two nations, and guess what? Kim is expecting something in return. He would like help with nuclear-powered submarines for the North Korean fleet.
Which brings us to the broader implications. While it’s good that Barnea voiced his concern over an Iran-Russia alliance, which would be a threat to Israel, and emphasized the Jewish State’s efforts to maintain solid relations with Russia. Folks, to me, it is unsustainable. Russia is more closely aligned than ever with Israel’s greatest enemy.
I believe Israel and Russia are heading on a diplomatic collision course. Ultimately, this will not end well. Russia will be at the head of a confederation that comes against Israel. The prophet Ezekiel calls it the war of Gog and Magog and says that it will happen in the “latter days” (see Ezekiel 38-39).
Russia and Iran are at the head of this invasion force. The good news is, they don’t get very far. They meet their demise on the mountains of Israel. We can see the prophetic chess pieces moving right now, and we should be monitoring it very closely.
