Iran remains the Mossad’s main priority as it continues to seek military nuclear capabilities and to aggressively flex its muscles throughout the Middle East and on Israel’s border, director Yossi Cohen said Monday as he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed out certificates of merit to the spy agency’s most daring operatives.
“Iran continues to desire significant nuclear capabilities so that these can lead to military capabilities; Iran continues to aggressively operate military forces in the Middle East, closer than ever to our borders both in the Syrian and Lebanese arenas; Iran continues to support the terror organization Hezbollah, and more recently it has increased its support for Hamas; Iran continues to transfer advanced and precise weaponry to terror organizations and into our arena,” Cohen said at the event.
Cohen also mentioned ISIS, saying that the Islamic State organization would continue to attempt to attack Israel, and “no less importantly, to attack our friends in the world.”
Addressing the six certificates of merit granted to the agency’s operatives, Cohen said the group undertakes “hundreds of thousands” of activities a year, making it hard to single out particular ones for praise.
“Some are complicated and daring in the heart of enemy states. . . [but] all share several things in common – bravery, courage, dedication to a goal, determination, creativity, depth, thoroughness and groundbreaking technology.”
The Mossad, Cohen added, was “building its internal strength in order to meet the challenges of the future with advanced technologies, intelligence systems, building strength and human resources, to develop abilities to engage our power in secret for many years to come, in all areas that the Mossad engages.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said he saluted the Mossad operatives for their “bravery, professionalism, planning and execution.”
“You have an important part in securing the security and the future of the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.