A leaked audio recording exposes a covert Israeli operation threatening top Iranian generals with assassination unless they denounce the regime
Operation Rising Lion: Israel’s Shadow War Comes to Light
In a revelation that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic and intelligence circles, a leaked audio recording obtained by The Washington Post has exposed a covert Israeli campaign aimed at destabilizing Iran’s military leadership. The operation, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, involved Israeli intelligence agents directly contacting over 20 senior Iranian officials, warning them to flee or face imminent death.
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The most harrowing moment comes from a call to a high-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general. In the recording, an Israeli operative, speaking fluent Persian, delivers a chilling message: “You have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child. Otherwise, you’re on our list right now. We’re closer to you than your own neck vein.” The agent further claims responsibility for the recent assassinations of top IRGC figures, including Hossein Salami, Mohammad Bagheri, and Ali Shamkhani though Iranian state media later claimed Shamkhani survived.
The general, audibly shaken, reportedly asked, “So, what should I do?” The operative instructed him to record a video denouncing Iran’s regime and send it via Telegram. It remains unclear whether the general complied.
This psychological pressure campaign ran parallel to Israel’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, launched on June 13. The dual-pronged strategy aimed not only to eliminate key figures but also to sow fear and confusion among Iran’s second- and third-tier leadership.
Psychological Warfare: Fear as a Weapon
The leaked audio is just one piece of a broader intelligence operation that appears to have been meticulously planned. Israeli operatives reportedly used a variety of methods to deliver their threats: phone calls, handwritten notes left at homes, and even messages relayed through family members. The goal was clear, destabilize Iran’s leadership from within by making potential successors fear for their lives.
According to sources familiar with the operation, the threats were not idle. The Israeli agent in the recording claimed to be calling from the same country that had just assassinated several top Iranian officials. “Do you want to be one of them? Do you want to destroy your wife and child too?” the agent asked, pressing the general to defect.
The campaign’s psychological impact is difficult to quantify, but its intent is unmistakable: to paralyze Iran’s military hierarchy and complicate Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ability to replace fallen commanders. By targeting not just the generals but their families, the operation crossed into deeply personal territory, amplifying its emotional and strategic weight.
Western intelligence analysts believe this tactic is part of a broader Israeli doctrine that blends kinetic strikes with psychological operations to achieve maximum disruption with minimal direct confrontation.
Fallout and Global Reactions: Escalation or Deterrence?
The leaked audio has sparked intense debate among global observers. Supporters of Israel’s strategy argue that the operation was a necessary deterrent against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional aggression. Critics, however, warn that such tactics risk escalating the conflict into a full-blown regional war.
Iran has yet to officially confirm the authenticity of the audio, but state media has acknowledged the assassination of several high-ranking officials and the existence of a psychological campaign. Tehran has vowed retaliation, and tensions remain high following Iran’s drone strikes on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a response to American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities authorized by President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations have raised concerns about the ethical implications of targeting officials’ families and using fear as a weapon. The United Nations has called for restraint and urged all parties to return to diplomatic channels. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the Iran-Israel conflict has entered a new, more insidious phase, one where wars are waged not just with missiles and drones, but with phone calls and fear. The leaked audio is more than just a recording; it’s a window into the evolving nature of modern warfare, where psychological dominance can be as lethal as physical force.
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