Israel had ‘boots on the ground’ in Iran from as early as 2010

Israel had “boots on the ground” for years in the lead up to its strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missiles program, monitoring and gathering intelligence from several locations as early as 2010, The Times reports, citing an intelligence source and leaked intelligence documents shared with Western countries.

The intelligence gathered by Israel showed that by the end of 2024, Iran had advanced past the research stage of weaponizing nuclear material to the point of carrying out experiments on building an explosive device “within weeks,” the reported documents say.

According to the report, Israel had intelligence officers who mapped the layout of the Natanz nuclear facility before it was attacked and destroyed. Reconnaissance infiltrated other sites, including Isfahan, Nur, Mogdeh, Shariati, and Shahid Meisami.

The report also says intelligence documents show Israel penetrated the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was also struck by the air force.