Iran regime will fall through mix of operations, economic pressure, ex-Mossad chief Barnea says

Iran's regime will fall through a mix of operations, economic pressure, and protests by its own people, recently retired Mossad chief David Barnea said in his first speech since stepping down on June 1.

In a speech to the Jerusalem Municipality, where he received an award on behalf of the Mossad, Barnea supported the Trump administration's latest economic pressure moves against the Islamic Republic.

He said that it was clear these were needed, but that they would be insufficient alone and would require the use of force as well, although he did not specify whether that force would require another round of massive airstrikes or whether a covert sabotage campaign would be sufficient.

"The decision to place the most severe sanctions on Iran was a correct and praiseworthy decision. But the sanctions are just another stage. There will be no choice, in my view, other than to escalate the economic actions, the policies, and the operations against the regime until it falls, and it will fall," stated Barnea.

According to Barnea, US President Donald Trump and much of the world - regardless of their complaints about gas prices - now understand deeper than ever the multiheaded threat which Tehran presents to all of them: whether through nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, or proxy terror.

"Until Operation Roaring Lion, we felt that Iran was a problem for the State of Israel. Today, the whole world knows clearly that the Iranian saga is not solely our problem," said Barnea.

Regarding Hezbollah and Hamas, he said that both terror groups were far weaker than before October 7, 2023, leaving Israel militarily more secure than it was three years ago.

Specifically, with Hezbollah, he hinted that Mossad's sleeper operations had harmed the terror group psychologically, while also giving credit to the IDF, which has carried out two massive invasions of Lebanon since 2024.

Addressing Hamas, he said that the organization is no longer anything close to resembling the national military that it constituted in 2023, when it had 24 highly organized and coordinated battalions.

Barnea did not address the low point Israel has hit on the diplomatic plane or criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his, and the Mossad's plans to topple the regime in early 2026.

The former Mossad chief also called on Israel as a people to be more tolerant of one another and to be more patient with hearing out different views from different sides of society.

On August 3, it was announced that Barnea would join Ondas' senior executive leadership team as its new global president and chairman, and support the company's global expansion, strategic technology development, government and defense relationships, and the business and technological integration.

Ondas defines itself as "a leading provider of autonomous systems and next-generation defense and security technologies."