Although the departures were officially described as being reached by mutual agreement, Israeli defense officials reportedly view the move as an effort to hold senior officers accountable for the plan’s failure. Kurdish Forces Were Expected to Pressure TehranThe broader intelligence operation reportedly involved Iranian Kurdish militias based across the border in northern Iraq. Reuters reported in March that Israel had been consulting Iranian Kurdish factions for roughly a year about possible operations inside Iran. Former Mossad officials have maintained that the plan to undermine the Iranian government was interrupted rather than conclusively defeated. Tehran’s ruling system has survived repeated waves of domestic protests, economic distress, Israeli intelligence penetration, and devastating military strikes.