Former Mossad chief David Barnea said Israel intentionally released footage of its covert operation in Iran during the June 2025 conflict to provoke mass arrests and make it harder for Iranian forces to find real Israeli agents.

Barnea said an official video was released on the morning of Operation Rising Lion, bearing the Mossad logo, to protect the agents who were in the field. According to him, Iranian authorities arrested 21,000 people during the operation.