NEW YORK (VINnews) — Israel secretly pursued a yearslong effort to establish ties with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as part of a broader strategy to reshape Iran’s leadership, according to an investigation published Monday by The New York Times.

The newspaper, citing current and former U.S., Israeli and Iranian officials familiar with the matter, reported that Israeli intelligence officials held covert meetings with Ahmadinejad outside Iran and viewed him as a possible figure in a post-Islamic Republic government.

According to the report, the effort intensified during the conflict between Israel and Iran earlier this year. The newspaper said operatives briefly moved Ahmadinejad from his Tehran residence to a secure location after an Israeli strike, but the broader plan ultimately failed.

The Times reported that Ahmadinejad later resurfaced publicly at funeral ceremonies for Iran’s supreme leader after months out of public view. It said Iranian authorities have since placed him under house arrest over his alleged contacts with Israel. Israeli officials and Ahmadinejad’s spokesman declined to comment, according to the newspaper.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013 and became known internationally for his hard-line policies, advancement of Iran’s nuclear program and repeated anti-Israel rhetoric. The Times reported that Israeli officials later concluded he had become increasingly estranged from Iran’s ruling establishment, creating an opportunity for secret outreach.