Back in September, Israel pulled off what some called the “most astonishing intelligence operations in history” in Lebanon and Syria after thousands of Hezbollah operatives’ pagers exploded simultaneously. Israel accomplished the same with walkie-talkies days later. As impressive as those operations were, Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said it will seem “simple” compared to what took place in the nation's conflict with Iran.
"We've pulled off a number of surprises," Leiter said during an interview with Merit Street. "When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple."
Leiter clarified that he was referring to operations that were conducted last week during the initial phase of Operation Rising Lion.
To be clear:
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) June 17, 2025
When I was asked about future operations against Iran, I said that we have “already pulled off a number of surprises at the beginning of the operation,” and when the dust settles on the start of the operation “Last Thursday and Friday,” those surprises will become…
‘We’re progressing ahead of schedule.’ Israel’s Ambassador (@yechielleiter) tells @LyndsayMKeith that the ultimate goal is to ‘demolish all nuclear weapon facilities in Iran.’ On Merit TV. pic.twitter.com/ILvmmRIt72
— Merit Street (@MeritStreet) June 17, 2025
While we'll have to wait and see what Leiter is referring to, one part of Operation Rising Lion that turned heads last week was footage of Mossad operatives on the ground in Iran. They had entered long before the attack, setting up a drone base and smuggling precision weapons systems into the country. These agents took out the nation’s air defenses, giving Israel the ability to take actions over Iran once the operation commenced.
Earlier, Leiter emphasized that the purpose of Israel's efforts against Iran is "to neutralize the threat to our existence through the regime’s nuclear weaponization and ballistic missile program."
