Former Intelligence Chief Says Africa Served as Rehearsal Site for 2018 Iran Archive Operation

A former chief of Israel's foreign intelligence service stated that operatives conducted a practice run in Africa before the 2018 break-in at Iran's nuclear archives. The former chief described the African exercise as the geographic area where the team rehearsed the tactics later used to enter the archive facility.

The operation itself occurred in 2018 and targeted documents related to Iran's nuclear program.

The former chief presented the information as new, noting that the location of the rehearsal had not been revealed previously. No additional operational specifics, such as dates or participating personnel, were provided in the statement. The disclosure adds one geographic detail to the public record of the 2018 archive operation without altering previously reported outcomes of that mission.