Former Mossad chief says Israeli agents visited Iran’s Fordow facility repeatedly

Jerusalem, Israel. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said on Tuesday that Israeli agents had visited Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility “many times” to gather information about the site, without specifying when the visits occurred or who was involved.

He also said US bombing of the facility had fulfilled what he described as “all my dreams”.

Cohen’s remarks

“We visited the Fordow nuclear plant many times to understand it,” Cohen said at a conference of local government officials, according to Israeli media.

Cohen, who led Mossad from 2016 to 2021, provided no details about the alleged visits to Fordow or the methods used to access the facility.

Strikes on nuclear facilities

Fordow was among Iran’s nuclear facilities targeted by US forces during the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025.

The facility was again affected during the conflict that began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched a joint attack on Iranian targets.

The strikes targeted Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, which Israel has described as an existential threat.

Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons, while Western governments have accused Tehran of pursuing the capability to develop them.

Role in Israeli policy

Cohen played a prominent role in Israeli security policy during his tenure and was involved in efforts that contributed to the Abraham Accords.

The accords established diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Sudan also joined the accords but did not fully implement them.

Cohen has remained a prominent public figure since leaving Mossad and has repeatedly been discussed as a possible future political candidate in Israel.

He has also been associated in reports with the 2020 assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, although Israel has never officially acknowledged responsibility for the operation.