Israel's foreign intelligence service has been placing calls to individual Iranian security commanders, threatening them and their families by name if they refuse to stand aside in the event of a popular uprising, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The calls are part of a broader campaign to undermine Iran's internal security apparatus, "Hvylya" reports, citing The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reviewed the contents of one recorded call between a senior Iranian police commander and a Mossad agent.
"We know everything about you. You are on our blacklist, and we have all the information about you," the Mossad agent told the commander in Farsi. "I called to warn you in advance that you should stand with your people's side. And if you will not do that, your destiny will be as your leader."
The commander's response revealed the psychological toll the campaign has taken on Iran's security forces. "Brother, I swear on the Quran, I'm not your enemy," he said. "I'm a dead man already. Just please come help us."
The intimidation campaign accompanies a systematic physical assault on Iran's security infrastructure. Israel has dropped 10,000 munitions on thousands of targets, including more than 2,200 related to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij militia and other internal security forces. Israeli intelligence officials have been identifying commanders individually and making clear that their movements are being tracked.
The combination of airstrikes and personal threats has driven some security forces to abandon their posts or sleep in vehicles and mosques, according to Israeli battle-damage assessments reviewed by the Journal. A doctor in Tehran said police officers pleaded with him to let them stay overnight in his building, with several sleeping in a nook by the stairs.
Also read: "Massive Intelligence Failure": Friedman Reveals Why Washington Misread Iran's Power Structure.