Mossad Director David Barnea on Tuesday rejected reports that Israel had created expectations of a rapid collapse of Iran’s regime, clarifying that no such assumption guided the war effort and that the campaign was designed with long-term objectives.

Speaking for the first time on the matter at a Holocaust Remembrance Day event at Mossad headquarters, Barnea warned against complacency in the face of growing threats, saying, “Those who think the Holocaust belongs only to the past are mistaken, and that in today’s reality genocide cannot happen, that there cannot be calls for annihilation, and that hatred threatening the existence of a people will not arise.”

He described the Iranian threat as steadily intensifying, stating, “The Iranian threat has been growing stronger before our eyes, in full view of the world, almost without interruption. Time and again we warned about the nuclear danger as an existential threat, time and again we warned about the quantities of ballistic missiles threatening Israeli citizens across the country, and about the danger posed by the Iranian regime. Ultimately, we took our fate into our own hands and went to two necessary wars.”

Referring to the recent campaign, Barnea said, “In the ‘Lion’s Roar’ war, the IDF, with the assistance of the Mossad, led an unprecedented offensive that delivered a severe blow to the Iranian regime—against those who have pledged to destroy us, against those who displayed a giant clock counting down our supposed end. Alongside us, in a strong alliance and historic cooperation with the world’s leading superpower, we fought together for the values of justice and freedom.”

He pointed to the results of the fighting, saying, “Forty days of intense combat produced highly significant achievements, chief among them damage to the enemy’s primary objective—the destruction of the State of Israel. The Mossad once again operated in the heart of Tehran, provided precise intelligence to the Air Force, and struck missiles that threaten Israeli civilians.”

At the same time, Barnea emphasized that the campaign is ongoing, saying, “However, our mission has not yet been completed. We did not think this mission would be completed immediately after the fighting subsided, but we did plan—very much so—that our campaign would continue and be expressed in the period following the strikes in Tehran.”

He concluded with a firm message: “Our commitment will be fulfilled only when this extremist regime is replaced. That regime, which seeks our destruction, must pass from the world. This is our mission. We will not continue to stand by in the face of another existential threat. From a clear mandate: never again.”

{Matzav.com}