Outgoing Mossad Chief Dedi Barnea: "Regime Change in Iran Is a Possible and Achievable Goal"

Last night (Monday), a farewell ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Mossad for Intelligence and Special Operations for outgoing Mossad chief David (Dedi) Barnea, who concluded his term as the 13th head of the agency after five years in the role.

In his remarks, Barnea summed up his operational worldview and said that from the moment he entered the position, he sought to leverage the organization’s unique strengths: "From my very first day as head of the Mossad, I strove to influence the security reality through the extraordinary advantages of our organization: sophistication, the ability to operate out of sight, and cunning — as a central motif."

He went on to emphasize the Mossad’s current operational capabilities, saying that "today’s Mossad is capable of operating deep inside enemy territory, surprising the enemy, and carrying out surgical and sophisticated operations, but also broad, significant, reality-changing ones — even during wartime."

Addressing the Iranian threat, Barnea said: "I committed that Iran would never have nuclear weapons. Today, when the Iranian regime is weaker, challenged, and more vulnerable, this is the time to finish the job and exact a price from the regime that has made our destruction its banner. We are in the midst of a historic and important campaign."

According to Barnea, replacing the regime in Tehran remains a central objective: "I believed, and I still believe, that changing the reality in Iran by replacing the regime is a possible and achievable goal. This is a feasible mission, and it is clear that it will require determination, patience, and unwavering commitment to the objective. This is our duty to future generations. This mission must remain at the top of our list of priorities."

Barnea thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu for their cooperation during his years in office: "Thank you for the courageous decisions you made throughout the war, which enabled the Mossad to fully express its capabilities and contributed significantly to strengthening the power of the State of Israel. I will always be grateful to you for historic decisions. I saw and appreciated your deliberations, I saw and appreciated your bold decisions. Thank you very much."

The outgoing Mossad chief devoted a significant portion of his speech to the mission of bringing the hostages home: "During my years in office, one commitment stood above all, coming straight from the heart — a supreme ethical, moral, and Jewish obligation: bringing the hostages home." He added that "there is no feeling of excitement that compares to the profound feeling of seeing our hostages return home and our fallen brought to burial in Israel. I will carry those moments in my heart for the rest of my life."

To incoming Mossad chief Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Barnea offered this blessing: "Your success is the Mossad’s success and the success of the State of Israel. The Mossad you are receiving is a powerful organization, sharp-minded, creative, and determined to break through every mission."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Barnea, saying: "Dedi, great things were done on your watch." He added that these had been "five packed and dramatic years — among the most fateful in our history." Netanyahu thanked Barnea for three decades of service in the organization and said that "there is no intelligence agency better than the Mossad." In his words, "the Mossad is a beacon of human strength, technological sophistication, and operational daring."

Netanyahu also said that the pager operation, the killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, the blow dealt to the organization’s top leadership, and the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria were key milestones in the process of crushing the Iranian axis. He emphasized that the combined capabilities of the Mossad and the IDF had placed Israel at the height of its power.

President Isaac Herzog also praised Barnea for his work and said that during his tenure, a "golden chapter in the history of Israel’s security" was written. Herzog pointed to the deepening of operations against Iran, stronger intelligence cooperation, and the agency’s operational achievements: "Our enemies have learned once again that the hand of the State of Israel is long, sharp, sophisticated, and cool-headed."

At the close of his remarks, Herzog turned to the incoming Mossad chief and said: "This is the opportunity to bless you, Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, the incoming head of the Mossad. You are taking up the baton of command, and the blessing of the entire people will go with you. I am certain that you will bring your well-known determination, wisdom, and daring with you into this role."