Former Mossad Chief Says Operatives Toured Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site

Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen revealed on August 11 that Israeli intelligence operatives had repeatedly entered Iran's fortified Fordow nuclear facility in the past, describing the subsequent U.S. bombing of the site as the "fulfillment of all my dreams." Speaking at the Galilee Forum in Safed, Cohen stated, "We toured the Fordow nuclear site many times in order to understand the site," though he did not specify when the visits occurred or provide operational details.

Cohen, who led Israel's intelligence agency from 2015 to 2021, made the remarks while discussing the June 2025 U.S. military strike on Fordow. The facility, buried deep inside a mountain near the city of Qom, was designed to be impervious to aerial bombardment. It was struck with U.S. bunker-busting bombs on June 22, 2025, during a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran. The United States also targeted the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites during that operation.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization characterized the damage from the strikes as limited, stating that significant equipment and materials had been removed from Fordow beforehand. Tehran also reported that damage at Natanz was concentrated in aboveground...