Israeli intelligence reportedly attempted to recruit former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a new post-Islamic regime in Tehran, according to media reports.
The effort to turn the intensely anti-Zionist leader began in 2022 and continued even after Israel's campaign in Gaza against Hamas, a key Iranian ally.
>>> Volkswagen Developing Next-Gen Nivus Small SUV, Not Coming to US
High-Stakes Meetings and CIA Involvement
David Barnea, then head of Mossad, traveled to Hungary to meet Ahmadinejad after he was invited to speak at Ludovika University in Budapest in 2025.
Barnea skipped a security consultation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on the recruitment, according to Haaretz.
After the meeting, Mossad informed the CIA about its contact with Ahmadinejad.
Israeli officials reportedly paid for Ahmadinejad's housing and travel, with operatives meeting him several times, including in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The details emerged amid speculation about Ahmadinejad's fate after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 killed several senior figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Ahmadinejad appeared at Khamenei's funeral, his first public appearance in months.
The New York Times reported that four Mossad agents drove him from his home after the strike and kept him at a safe house in Tehran.
However, Ahmadinejad became upset about the rescue mission and left the safe house under mysterious circumstances.
He is believed to have been taken into custody by the IRGC intelligence wing.
