Mossad in crisis? Why Roman Gofman's firings and Iran strategy tell a more complicated story

Mossad Chief Roman Gofman has fired four top intelligence officials and two others plan to resign, according to N12 News citing 10 former senior Mossad members. The Mossad denied the report, calling it biased and distorted. Gofman's changes are linked to a shift in Iran strategy and the use of civilian outsiders in senior forums.

Mossad Chief Roman Gofman has pushed Israel's national intelligence service into a state of turmoil, N12 News reported on Sunday, citing interviews with 10 former senior members of the agency. The Mossad heavily pushed back on the article's claims in a statement to The Jerusalem Post, calling the N12 report "a biased article, riddled with distortions and inaccuracies." The Mossad claimed that the N12 report "recycles old stories and allegations while artificially linking unrelated events and taking them out of context, in an attempt to manufacture a crisis." Gofman has fired as many as four top intelligence officials, including the deputy Mossad director, the head of the Intelligence Division, the head of the Iran Division, and the head of the Operations Division, with two others intending to resign. The Post reported that one reason for the firings is Gofman's belief that former plans for regime change in Iran cannot go forward. Sources told N12 that the rapid wave of dismissals is unprecedented and that Gofman, who did not come from within the intelligence community, has brought civilian outsiders into highly classified forums, including right-wing businesspeople close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Mossad argued that using external advisers is an accepted management practice. The N12 report also noted that Gofman has increased efforts to look into the logistics of Palestinians' voluntary migration from Gaza, a move causing unrest within the organization.