Secret Israeli Plan to Appoint Former President Ahmadinejad as Leader of Iran.. What's the Story?

A report by the American newspaper "The New York Times" revealed details of Israeli efforts to "recruit" former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in exchange for Tehran's attempts to counter these efforts, including placing the former president under house arrest after exposing his contacts with the Mossad.

The newspaper, based on an extensive investigation involving 4 Iranian sources, stated that Israel ran a secret operation over years targeting the recruitment of Ahmadinejad as an "intelligence asset," with plans at a later stage to appoint him as leader of Iran in the event of the current regime's overthrow.

According to the report, the operation included a step in early 2024, when a Hungarian government official asked Gergely Dely, a university president in Budapest, to invite Ahmadinejad to attend a conference on climate change.

The newspaper quoted Dely as saying the conference was a cover for secret talks between Ahmadinejad and Israeli intelligence officials, adding that he agreed to send the invitation out of a desire to facilitate dialogue between the two parties.

In the same context, the newspaper quoted former American officials as saying that the head of the Israeli General Security Service, David Barnea, personally traveled to Budapest to meet Ahmadinejad.

The newspaper indicated that Israel made secret payments to Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's spokesman, and that Israeli agents met him several times before launching an operation codenamed "The Mighty Lion."

The report added that Ahmadinejad's residential complex was subjected to an Israeli airstrike last February targeting his guards and armored vehicle, before Mossad agents moved him to a secret hideout.

Ahmadinejad remained out of sight until he later appeared at the funeral of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei days ago.

The newspaper adds that "afterwards, the intelligence wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained the former president and placed him under house arrest," according to Iranian officials.

Sources close to Ahmadinejad indicated that his motives were not financial.

"The New York Times" quoted his former advisor Abdolreza Davari as saying in a phone interview: "He has money and a vast economic network. He did it for power and his desire to return to the helm of rule."

Another close associate said Ahmadinejad was aspiring to return to power "with the help of external forces," noting that he lost confidence in the Iranian system after being excluded from the presidential race 3 times.

The source mentioned that the former president expressed in private gatherings his dissatisfaction with the system's leaders, including Khamenei, affirming that he intended to normalize relations with Israel if he returned to power.