Magog “Iran has not relinquished its aspiration to destroy the State of Israel,” Barnea said.
Mossad Director David “Dedi” Barnea issued a sharp warning Tuesday night over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, vowing that Israel will not allow a dangerous nuclear agreement to materialize and will ensure Tehran’s nuclear project is never revived.
Speaking at the Mossad’s annual ceremony honoring outstanding employees, Barnea said that despite severe damage to Iran’s nuclear program, the regime has not abandoned its goal of developing a nuclear weapon.
“Iran has not relinquished its aspiration to destroy the State of Israel,” Barnea said. “It believes it can once again deceive the world and push forward another bad nuclear deal. We did not allow such an agreement to materialize, and we will not allow it to materialize.”
Barnea warned that Iran would accelerate its nuclear efforts the moment circumstances allow. “This is a state that will break forward as soon as it can,” he said. “The idea of continuing to develop a nuclear bomb is still alive in their hearts.”
He stressed that Israel bears responsibility to ensure Iran’s nuclear project, which he said has been “severely damaged,” is never reactivated. That effort, he noted, is being carried out in close coordination with the United States.
Barnea also addressed the broader threat of international terrorism, linking it directly to Iran’s strategic doctrine. “The criminal idea of targeting innocent civilians has always been, and remains, at the foundation of the Iranian regime’s strategy,” he said.
He vowed that Israel would pursue both attackers and those who direct them. “We will find the perpetrators and those who sent them, the Iranians and the jihadists, wherever they flee,” Barnea said. “Justice will be done and will be seen. Light will overcome darkness.”
The remarks were delivered at a ceremony held at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where certificates of excellence were awarded to 12 Mossad employees. The event took place on the third night of Chanukah and was attended by President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Barnea.
Barnea also briefly referenced the recent antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, underscoring his warning that global terrorism targeting civilians remains a central tool of Israel’s enemies.
His speech reinforced Israel’s longstanding position that Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its sponsorship of terrorism represent an existential threat, and that Israel will continue acting decisively to defend its citizens and prevent those threats from becoming reality.