Israeli intelligence agents warned top Iranian generals earlier this month that they had "12 hours" to flee with their families or get killed, according to an audio recording obtained by The Washington Post. The warnings were part of Operation Rising Lion, which began on June 13 when Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military targets.
"You have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child. Otherwise, you're on our list right now," an Israeli operative told a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general in one of at least 20 phone calls made to Iranian officials.
"We're closer to you than your own neck vein. Put this in your head. May God protect you," the operative added.
The operative claimed to be calling from the country that had moments earlier assassinated top IRGC figures, including Hossein Salami, Mohammad Bagheri, and Ali Shamkhani. Iran's state media later claimed that Shamkhani survived the attack.
"Listen carefully. I'm calling from a country that two hours ago sent Bagheri, Salami, Shamkhani, one by one, to hell," the operative said, as heard in the video.
"Do you want to be one of them? Do you want to be the next one on the list? Do you also want to destroy your wife and child? No, right?" the operative pressed. The general reportedly responded, "So, what should I do?"
The agent instructed him to record a video denouncing Iran's regime and send it via Telegram. It remains unclear if the video was made.
Israel delivered the threats in Persian, targeting mid and high-level commanders with the aim of destabilising Iran's leadership and deterring potential successors from stepping up. The objective, Israeli sources said, was to instil fear in second and third-tier officials, making it more difficult for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to replace the regime's fallen commanders. Israeli operatives used not only phone calls but also notes delivered to homes and messages sent through spouses to warn targeted individuals.
The psychological pressure campaign ran side by side with Israel's ongoing military operations inside Iran. Western officials say sleeper teams, pre-positioned weapons caches, and covert assets inside Iran were activated as part of Rising Lion. The US joined the war days later. A strike led by US President Donald Trump targeted three of Iran's uranium enrichment sites with B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles.
Iran launched a wave of retaliatory attacks in Qatar. The Iranian drones struck Al Udeid Air Base, home to one of the largest US military presence in the Middle East.
