Did a Leak Trigger War? ‘Israel’ Hits Iran in High-Stakes Escalation

On June 13, 2025, the Israeli Occupation followed through on its threats by launching strikes against key Iranian nuclear facilities, escalating tensions in the region. The Israeli attack came in the wake of significant developments: Tehran’s revelation that it had uncovered and dismantled an Israeli spy ring operating within Iran, alongside Israeli Occupation’s arrest of several individuals accused of collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

The Israeli Occupation strikes targeted multiple locations: the capital Tehran, Tabriz, the Natanz nuclear facility in Isfahan, and the cities of Lorestan and Kermanshah. Among the casualties was Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard and a close associate of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Six nuclear scientists were also killed in the attack: Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi, Motalibizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranji, and Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the unprecedented operation aimed to cripple Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories, and multiple military capabilities.

He said that “Israel” had informed the United States about its plans to attack Iran before carrying them out.

“I leave the American position to the Americans. We updated them ahead of time. They knew about the attack. What will they do now? I leave that to President [Donald] Trump. He makes his decisions independently,” Netanyahu added in a recorded video message.

Secret Projects

In modern warfare, reliable intelligence is crucial and the escalating espionage battle between Tehran and “Tel Aviv” is now entering a new, exhausting phase.

In a surprising twist, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced it had smuggled tens of thousands of classified Israeli documents into Tehran. The disclosure drew immediate attention from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), global media, and intelligence communities.

While Iran has made public statements about the contents of the documents since June 9, 2025, it has yet to release any of the materials. Tehran appears to be leveraging the announcement both to highlight its intelligence capabilities inside “Israel” and to pressure international bodies.

The move has drawn comparisons to Israeli Occupation’s 2018 intelligence operation targeting Iran's nuclear archives.

In its official statement, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence described the documents as containing highly sensitive strategic, scientific, and research-related data. The materials reportedly include details on “Israel’s covert and illegal nuclear programs, research sites, communications with U.S. and European institutions, and both current and future nuclear plans.”

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence also claimed it possesses comprehensive information on key officials involved in “Israel’s” most sensitive and high-level projects.

It stated that “other sections of the documents include details on military and missile programs, technical files related to dual-use scientific and technological projects, as well as the names, identities, personal data, photographs, and addresses of the directors, officials, and scientists involved in these programs.”

The Iranian statement also claimed that non-Israeli individuals are involved in “Israel’s secret and critical projects,” and that their identities have likewise been obtained.

It further noted that “Israel” had submitted reports on Iran’s nuclear activities to certain international institutions, and that the information published by those organizations aligned with the data provided by “Israel.”

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry stated that “the operation carried out against Israel was not a cyberattack, but a physical operation on the ground.”

Regarding the execution of the operation, the ministry said: “The methods used by “the anonymous soldiers of Imam Zaman” (a term used to refer to Iranian intelligence agents) to access the regime’s documents, and the tactics for extracting those documents from the occupied Palestinian territories, were designed and implemented in such a way that rendered the Israeli regime’s multi-layered security networks and interlocking defense corridors completely ineffective.”

“This historic operation concluded successfully with the transfer of a large volume of documents into the country, and all participating personnel returned safely to base,” it added.

Iran also saw Israeli Occupation’s recent arrest of Israeli citizens on charges of spying for Tehran as an attempt to cover up its own intelligence failure.

A Show of Threat

Following the Iranian Intelligence Ministry’s announcement that it had obtained Israeli documents, a wave of statements was issued by Iranian officials and institutions.

It appeared that Iran aimed not only to acquire “Israel’s” classified files, but also to turn the operation into a demonstration of power and a form of deterrence.

In this context, General Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization, sent a congratulatory message to Intelligence Minister Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Esmaeil Khatib, praising the “seizure of highly sensitive strategic documents belonging to Israel.”

Kazemi lauded the ministry’s reach inside Israeli intelligence infrastructure, calling the operation “a unique intelligence feat.”

“Our brave colleagues in the Intelligence Ministry have opened a wound in the disgraceful body of the Zionist regime [‘Israel’]—one that cannot be healed. A wound the weak and silent enemy cannot deny or respond to,” he said.

“This delicate operation demonstrated the intelligence community’s ability to defend the gains of the Islamic Revolution, strike at Iran’s sworn enemies, and safeguard our nation. It also revealed yet again the weakness and impotence of the savage Zionist regime’s prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu].”

“Global intelligence experts would agree that infiltrating the security apparatus of an occupying regime—one led by officials who pour unlimited funds into projecting an image of impenetrable security, in a highly protected and surveilled geography—is undoubtedly a rare and masterful intelligence achievement,” Kazemi added.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a statement warning “Israel” against attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

The council asserted that gaining access to such sensitive information has given Iran the ability to immediately retaliate against any Israeli strike—by targeting “Israel’s” own secret nuclear facilities.

Former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee threatened “Israel” via a post on X, stating that “Iran knows the most secret places in Israel and is capable of reaching every point within it.”

“There is no longer any secret, hidden, inaccessible, or safe place left in the occupied territories.”

The Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, Hossein Salami [killed in the latest Israeli attack on Iran], stated in his message that “the efforts of the Intelligence Ministry will enhance the precision of Iranian missiles.”

Salami described the Intelligence Ministry’s operation as “a second version of the Operation al-Aqsa Flood.”

“This operation was like al-Aqsa Flood 2 in the intelligence field [..] These sensitive details will undoubtedly strengthen efforts to destroy the Zionist Occupation regime,” he added.

Mojtaba Zarei, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, stated: “We now know the bombs that the Israeli gang possesses, where they are, their hiding places, the depth of those shelters, their protection capabilities, the materials used to make the bombs, and the nature of their calculations against Iran.”

Zarei also claimed they obtained more than 10 million documents, adding that “releasing any part of them would create a crisis in Asia, Europe, and America.”

The Agency Remains Cautious

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), made cautious remarks on the matter and issued a warning to “Israel.”

He explained that the agency has not yet received any official notification regarding the secret Israeli documents that Iran claims to have obtained.

“We have seen some reports in the press. We haven’t had any official communication about this,” Grossi told reporters. 

“In any case, this seems to refer to Soreq, which is a research facility which we inspect by the way. We don’t inspect other strategic parts of the program, but this part of the program we do inspect,” he said, in an attempt to downplay the impact of the Iranian statements.

Grossi did not specify the source of his information, although the IAEA has a confidential system that allows countries to report security incidents related to their nuclear programs.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Occupation government remained silent regarding the Iranian intelligence announcement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, War Minister Israel Katz, and the Mossad agency all chose not to comment on the alleged documents.

Israeli security experts describe Tehran’s claims of obtaining sensitive Israeli intelligence as exaggerated or a form of psychological warfare.

In an interview with Iran International, former Israeli Interpol chief Asher Ben-Artzi said, “I know that the relevant information is well-guarded in Israel and it does not seem to me that hackers can access it.”

“Iran wants to tell the world that their intelligence personnel are professionals, but they probably think that their use of disinformation will increase their achievements.”

Intelligence analyst Ronen Solomon also said, “We don’t know if it’s something scientific or operational, and it could possibly be something like details of the supply chain. Nobody in Israel has confirmed this officially so it could also be a psychological operation.”

“Iran is attempting to replicate what Israel did to Tehran’s nuclear archives in 2018,” he told Iran International, referring to the Israeli intelligence operation that allegedly seized Iranian nuclear files from a warehouse in Tehran.

In its report on the Iranian intelligence claim, The Times of Israel noted that Iran has provided no proof to support its allegations.

“It was not clear whether the information breach was linked to a reported hacking of an Israeli nuclear research center last year, which Tehran is only disclosing now amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.”

The newspaper also criticized Netanyahu’s government for its silence and lack of any official statement.

Following Iran’s announcement, Netanyahu reportedly held a 40-minute phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sources said Netanyahu and Trump discussed the stalled U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations.

In this context, tensions in the region escalated after the U.S. took steps reportedly including evacuation preparations at the Washington embassy in Iraq, and families of U.S. forces in Bahrain were authorized to leave voluntarily.

Notably, Israeli journalists published posts hinting at a major event about to occur in the region.

Jewish-Yemeni journalist Moshi Geradi posted, “The coming days will witness a major event.”

Although “Israel” did not respond to Iran’s claim of “obtaining important documents,” it nonetheless launched its attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.