Former Mossad chief says spies trained in Africa for 2018 Iran nuclear archive operation

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said his agency carried out a dress rehearsal in Africa before the 2018 operation that obtained Iranian nuclear archive materials. The training prepared operatives for the raid on a warehouse near Tehran that secured documents detailing Iran's past nuclear activities.

Background on the 2018 operation The seizure occurred in January 2018.

Israeli officials later presented portions of the material to the United States and other governments. The documents showed research and development work on nuclear weapons components that Iran had not previously declared to international inspectors.

U.S. policy decision The operation took place several months before the United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. The agreement had placed limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Cohen's comments describe the preparation phase but do not detail the raid itself or its immediate diplomatic effects.