Secret units and operations played major role in Israel’s achievements during Iran conflict

Israel relied extensively on secret units during its Operation Rising Lion conflict with Iran, as has become obvious in the past few days. 

While the Mossad operation to launch drones at strategic sites from within Iran during the opening hours of the conflict has already been revealed, several other covert units and tactics have only come to light in the past few days and hours. 

The Washington Post on Monday revealed that in the hours just after Israel started its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Israeli intelligence operatives launched a campaign to destabilize the Iranian regime by making threatening phone calls to senior Iranian officials, including many from within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

“I can advise you now, you have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child. Otherwise, you’re on our list right now,” an Israeli intelligence operative told a senior Iranian general in a leaked recording of the phone call. 

Threatening harm to the general and his family unless he disavowed the Iranian regime, the operative said, “We’re closer to you than your own neck vein. Put this in your head. May God protect you.” 

The general was instructed to record a video in which he disassociated himself from the Iranian regime. 

“How should I send it to you?” the general asked. 

“I will send you a Telegram ID,” the operative replied. 

While no such video was ever released on social media or, apparently on any Iranian media, the Post reported that the general is believed to still be alive. 

The military operation against Iran was in planning for many years, and relied heavily on a “broad covert action campaign,” including clandestine intelligence teams, weapons and drones which had been pre-positioned, and human and signal intelligence collected over years, as Israel waited for the right moment to carry out the operation designed at reducing or removing the Iranian nuclear threat. 

Israel struck and killed several high level commanders in the beginning of the operation, as well as several nuclear scientists believed to be working on Iran’s weaponization program. Last week, it was revealed that many of those commanders had been lured to a specific bunker by a Mossad operation, which created a fake phone call for 20 members of the air force senior staff and calling them to a specific bunker in Tehran.” 

At the same time, the IDF prepared to neutralize the Iranian drone threat, which was considered to be a significant threat to Israel’s home front. 

On Monday, the IDF revealed that a special unit within the military, the Spectrum Warfare 5114th Battalion, which is part of the J6 and Cyber Defense Directorate, has been working to thwart most Iranian drones from reaching Israeli territory. 

While the unit is relatively unknown, and much of its work is classified even after the operations are over, the IDF did allow some details of the unit’s work during Operation Rising Lion to be revealed. 

The IDF said the unit “thwarted dozens of attempted infiltrations by hostile aircraft using electronic warfare,” calling the unit’s activity “an additional layer of defense leveraging advanced technological means to detect and neutralize aerial threats in real time.” 

As it’s name suggests, the engages in a variety of activities related to signals and communications, especially related to newer forms of electronic warfare, including drones, which rely on radio signals to control drones, and receive information from them. 

In particular, the unit has focused on new kinds of direct jamming or confounding enemies’ communications, as a means of disrupting attacks before they can threaten IDF soldiers or the home front. 

The unit also works to prevent such disruptions to the electrical systems used by Israeli soldiers. 

Lt. Col. “B”, the Commander of the 5114th Battalion at the Spectrum Warfare Center, described the unit’s work to intercept incoming drones from Iran, saying, "These interceptions form an additional and important layer of defense that contributes to the protection of Israel’s skies. Every UAV we manage to stop helps protect our civilians, our residents, and our strategic assets. We will continue to operate at all times to protect the residents of the country.”