The report, based on interviews with current and former Israeli intelligence and military officials, said Barnea transformed Mossad from an organization focused primarily on targeted clandestine missions into a central operational arm supporting Israel’s broader confrontation with Iran and its regional allies.

Among the report’s most significant claims were new details regarding the September 2024 killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. According to the newspaper, Lebanese agents recruited by Mossad played a role in gathering intelligence and placing targeting equipment that helped facilitate the Israeli strike that killed Nasrallah and several senior Hezbollah commanders.

The report said some operatives moved through areas recently hit by Israeli bombardment to assess damage and install equipment linked to the operation. It added that Barnea regarded locally recruited agents as among the agency’s most valuable assets and viewed their activities as evidence of a broader shift in how Mossad conducted operations abroad.

The investigation also linked Barnea to intelligence efforts preceding Israel’s military campaign against Iran in 2025. According to Israeli sources cited by the newspaper, officials examined the possibility of supporting Kurdish groups as part of a wider strategy aimed at increasing pressure on Iran’s leadership during the conflict.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli planners envisioned Kurdish forces advancing on the ground with support from Israeli air power. The proposal was ultimately blocked by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the newspaper, although Israeli officials cited in the report differed on whether opposition originated within the U.S. administration or stemmed partly from concerns raised by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

According to the report, Barnea did not believe military action alone would be sufficient to topple Iran’s leadership but argued that sustained economic, diplomatic and military pressure could gradually weaken the system and create conditions for political change.

The newspaper said Israeli and U.S. officials remain concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, particularly a facility referred to as Pickaxe Mountain, which it described as being buried deeper underground than the Fordow enrichment site targeted during U.S. strikes in 2025. Officials cited by the report expressed concern that the site could provide Iran with a more secure location for sensitive nuclear activities.

The report said Trump opposed deploying American ground forces to seize nuclear material or destroy deeply buried facilities, favoring negotiations aimed at restricting Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The investigation also revisited plans for a large-scale Mossad operation against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure that were ultimately shelved. According to the newspaper, Israeli leaders concluded in 2024 that the operation carried excessive risks and instead shifted planning toward the aerial campaign launched the following year.

Sources close to Barnea disputed aspects of that assessment, the report said, arguing that Mossad had repeatedly demonstrated an ability to conduct unprecedented operations through local recruits and covert networks operating inside Iran.

The newspaper further reported that some Israeli officials believed recent U.S. intervention to prevent additional Israeli strikes in Beirut reduced pressure on Hezbollah and complicated efforts to secure further concessions from the group. According to those officials, continued military pressure could have strengthened the Lebanese government’s position in discussions over Hezbollah’s future role and possible disarmament.

While sharing concerns about Hezbollah’s recovery, Barnea was reported to be skeptical of maintaining a long-term Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon, arguing that previous such deployments had failed to produce lasting results.

Barnea formally stepped down this week after leading Mossad for five years. Despite publicly opposing the appointment of incoming Mossad chief Roman Gofman during the selection process, the Jerusalem Post reported that Barnea subsequently urged agency personnel to support the new leadership and rejected suggestions of wider internal dissent within the intelligence service.