Israel and Ukraine are using local agents and high-tech gadgets to carry out covert attacks on key targets in Iran and Russia, as per a report in The Wall Street Journal.
In June, Israel launched a 12-day military operation against Iran, relying on ordinary locals trained to operate sophisticated automated and remotely controlled equipment. Mossad spent years identifying people inside Iran, including victims of repression, marginalised ethnic minorities, and foreigners living in the country, who could safely assist in secret operations.
On June 13, these agents used rockets, drones, and other weapons smuggled into Iran to destroy air-defense systems and missile launchers, according to Israeli statements and sources familiar with the operation.
Ukraine has employed a similar approach to combat Russia. Citizens like Artem Tymofeyev, a DJ, and his wife Kateryna, a tattoo artist, secretly prepared “Operation Spiderweb” from a warehouse near a Russian state security office. Using technology supplied by Kyiv, the couple carried out attacks on Russian targets while being a part of society.
Over the past year, both Israel and Ukraine have combined traditional human intelligence with advanced technology, allowing even minimally trained local operatives to handle complex tasks while staying hidden.
“The lone 007 operator is not what we're looking for now,” said Eran Lerman, former official in Israel's National Security Council, as per The WSJ. “Now, people are at the tip of a very complex operation.”
Modern surveillance has made traditional espionage riskier. Electronic tracking, biometric profiling, and ubiquitous digital footprints, sometimes called “digital dust”, have exposed professional operatives in past failures. Mossad's attempts in Dubai in 2010 and earlier incidents showed the dangers of relying solely on career agents abroad.
Israel now trains local agents for precise missions. In 2020, a remote-controlled machine gun was used to assassinate Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, with local operatives safely away from the scene. In June, local operatives helped destroy Iranian air defences and identify key targets.
“What you have is a sort of extension arm, which gives you the best of both worlds,” said Eyal Tsir Cohen, former senior Israeli intelligence official.
Ukraine has applied these lessons with impressive results. Its operatives have staged assassinations and drone strikes while mixing into Russian society, using crowd-sourced intelligence and AI-generated tools to locate and target soldiers.
Unlike Russian local agents, who often act unknowingly for pay, Israel and Ukraine cultivate networks of committed operatives. The Tymofeyevs, for example, lived openly in Chelyabinsk while preparing attacks thousands of miles away, leaving Russia safely before strikes were carried out.
