Has Mossad ever conducted operations on Australian soil before?
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Executive summary
Mossad’s name has surfaced repeatedly in relation to Iranian-linked plots that Australian authorities say were foiled in 2024–2025, and Israel’s agency publicly identified an IRGC commander it blamed for arson and other attacks in Australia (see Mossad’s naming of “Sardar Amar” and links to Melbourne and Sydney incidents) [1] [2]. Historical reporting shows prior friction between Israeli intelligence and Australia over Mossad use of forged Australian passports in the 2010 Dubai assassination, but sources here do not document direct Mossad covert operations on Australian soil beyond intelligence-sharing and allegations tied to thwarted Iran-linked plots [3] [4].
1. Mossad’s recent public role: naming an alleged Iran-linked mastermind
In October 2025 Mossad publicly identified a senior Quds Force officer, named Sardar Amar (or Ammar), and said he led a network behind a series of thwarted attacks that included firebombings of Jewish sites in Melbourne and Sydney in 2024 — a revelation carried by multiple outlets and the Mossad statement itself [1] [2] [5]. Those disclosures were portrayed as part of coordinated intelligence work with foreign partners and were explicitly linked to arrests and diplomatic responses such as Australia expelling Iran’s ambassador [2] [6].
2. Australia says plots were foiled; Mossad claims credit for analysis and exposure
Media reporting relays Mossad’s claim that its investigations “uncovered the mechanisms” of Iranian-led plots and that Mossad’s activity, together with other agencies, helped thwart dozens of attack tracks “saving many lives” — language repeatedly reported in coverage of the October 2025 disclosures [4] [6]. Australian authorities (ASIO and the federal government) have said they acted on intelligence pointing to Iranian involvement; reporting notes the Albanese government moved to expel Iran’s ambassador and to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation following those assessments [2].
3. Prior incidents that strained Australia–Mossad relations
Independent earlier reporting recalled the 2010 “passport affair,” in which forged Australian passports were reportedly used in a Mossad-linked assassination in Dubai; that episode produced diplomatic fallout and the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat, and it remains a touchpoint in Australian public memory of Mossad activity affecting Australia [3]. Available sources do not claim Mossad carried out violent covert actions on Australian soil in 2010; they document forged-passport use linked to an overseas assassination and subsequent bilateral tensions [3].
4. What “operations on Australian soil” means in available reporting
Sources here describe Mossad primarily as an intelligence partner that has provided names, analysis, and leads (for example identifying alleged IRGC operators tied to attacks) rather than publicly admitting to clandestine paramilitary or covert kinetic operations inside Australia [4] [1]. Reporting attributes disruption of plots to “intensive Mossad activity together with intelligence and security agencies in Israel and abroad,” but it does not supply open-source proof within these pieces of Mossad agents conducting arrests or offensive missions physically inside Australia [6] [7].
5. Competing narratives and political stakes
Some outlets and commentators treat Mossad’s disclosures as crucial lifesaving intelligence and call for reciprocal political support, including former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen arguing intelligence-sharing saved lives and should yield policy leverage [8]. Other voices question Mossad’s motives and reliability; a critical commentariat piece cited here argued that assertions of Iranian involvement may rest heavily on Israeli-sourced intelligence and urged caution, noting Mossad’s controversial history and the absence of full public evidence in some instances [9]. Both perspectives are present in the coverage.
6. What the current sources do and do not say
The collected reporting documents Mossad publicly exposing alleged Iranian mechanisms behind attacks affecting Australia and crediting its intelligence for thwarting plots; it also documents diplomatic fallout in Canberra [1] [2] [6]. The sources do not provide open-source confirmation that Mossad conducted overt clandestine operations (for example, arrests or sabotage) physically inside Australia itself — available sources do not mention direct Mossad-run raids on Australian soil in these cases [4] [3].
7. Takeaway and limits of the public record
Public reporting in this set shows Mossad operating as an external intelligence actor that supplied material used in Australian investigations and that publicly named alleged IRGC operatives linked to attacks in Australia [1] [2]. Whether that involvement included secret operational activity inside Australia is not found in the current reporting; readers should treat Israeli attributions as influential intelligence claims that prompted Australian policy actions, while also noting critics who question attribution and motive [8] [9].