Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen revealed that Israeli intelligence agents visited Iran's Fordow underground nuclear site multiple times to inspect the location. Speaking at the Galilee Forum in Safed, according to Hebrew media reports, Cohen said the agency gathered operational knowledge by touring the uranium enrichment facility, though he did not state when the visits occurred or who joined them.
Cohen said American airstrikes on Fordow fulfilled all his dreams. The Fordow facility, along with nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz, suffered severe damage from United States strikes during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
Fordow is built deep inside a mountain and is considered one of the most sensitive locations in the Iranian nuclear program, attracting Israeli and Western intelligence focus for years. Reports state that roughly 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium stored at Fordow were buried after the attack, but Israel estimates Iran transferred some material to Pickaxe Mountain after the war.
Uranium Enrichment and Expert Assessments
Addressing nuclear material, Cohen said uranium enriched to 60 percent remains far from an atomic bomb. However, nuclear experts such as David Albright estimate that 60 percent enriched uranium can be upgraded to weapons-grade levels within weeks or days.
This is not the first time Cohen has publicly discussed Israeli intelligence activities in Iran. Days after stepping down as Mossad chief in 2021, he gave a detailed Israeli television interview outlining operations against Tehran's nuclear program.
During that interview, Cohen implied Mossad was involved in an explosion at Natanz's underground centrifuge facility. He also described a 2018 operation in which agents extracted Iran's nuclear archive from safes inside a Tehran warehouse.
Prior Mossad Operations and Iranian Targets
Cohen confirmed that assassinated Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh had been targeted by Mossad for years. He added that the regime in Tehran must understand Israel means what it says when promising to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Referencing journalist Dayan, Cohen said he would take her into the underground cellar at Natanz where centrifuges once spun if given the opportunity. His latest comments underline Israeli intelligence penetration of Iran's nuclear program and the focus Tel Aviv places on Fordow and Natanz.
