In January 2018, Mossad operatives infiltrated a secret warehouse in Tehran, Iran’s capital of more than eight million people. They broke into dozens of massive safes and, in just under seven hours, extracted more than one hundred thousand documents and over half a ton of material detailing Iran’s covert nuclear weapons program. The raid, code-named Operation Stealing the Reality, was the result of two years of planning—there was even a replica facility built abroad for rehearsals. Once the raid was discovered, it triggered an immense manhunt across the city, with as many as ten thousand Iranian police and security forces searching for the Israeli agents. The operation provided undeniable proof of Iran’s military nuclear ambitions and played a decisive role in reshaping global policy toward the Iranian regime.

In this episode of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, John Spencer speaks with Yossi Cohen, the former director of Mossad who led the organization through this extraordinary urban operation. Cohen, who recently published The Sword of Freedom: Israel, Mossad, and the Secret War, gives a rare inside account of the raid, from its audacious planning and its execution in the heart of Tehran to its far-reaching strategic consequences.

During the conversation, Cohen reveals in extraordinary detail the preparation for and risk behind the operation. He also reflects on his thirty-eight years in Mossad, the evolution of intelligence in modern conflict, and the future role of artificial intelligence in national security.

You can listen to the episode below or find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. Be sure to subscribe, and if you’re enjoying the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, please take a minute and leave the podcast a review or give it a rating!

Image credit: IranOpenAlbum