As Israeli warplanes roared over Tehran in a wave of punishing strikes, another, quieter offensive was unfolding—one not launched from airbases, but from encrypted lines and whispered threats. According to a detailed report by The Washington Post, Israel has waged a parallel psychological campaign targeting the upper echelons of Iran’s military and political leadership, aimed at sowing fear, distrust, and disarray inside the regime’s most guarded circles.
At the heart of this campaign lies a chilling audio recording, reportedly a phone call between an Israeli intelligence operative and a senior commander in Iran’s armed forces. “You have 12 hours to escape with your wife and children,” the voice on the recording warns in fluent Persian. “Otherwise, Israel can strike you and your family at any moment. Record a video renouncing the Islamic Republic—declare yourself innocent—or face the consequences.”
The audio, obtained along with supporting material by The Washington Post from three unnamed sources, has not been independently verified. The identity of the Iranian commander remains undisclosed, and the newspaper noted that it is unclear whether the officer followed the instructions and submitted such a video. One of the sources believes the commander is still alive and in Iran.
Israeli agents, according to the report, made dozens of similar calls, delivering dire ultimatums to figures close to the regime’s inner circle. Some were contacted at home. Others received messages through their spouses. At least a few received multiple calls—a psychological drumbeat meant to rattle not only their nerves but the regime’s very sense of invincibility.
“It’s not just a warning,” said one source quoted by The Post. “It’s a wedge. A crack meant to grow wider with each call, each letter, each whispered threat.” The effort, he said, aimed to create “shockwaves of panic” among second- and third-tier officials, especially in the wake of recent Israeli airstrikes that reportedly killed several high-ranking Iranian commanders.
In one particularly striking call, the Israeli operative tells a commander, “I’m calling from a country that sent Baqeri, Salami, and Shamkhani to hell one by one two hours ago.” The names—belonging to prominent Iranian military and intelligence figures—are invoked like ghosts, reminders of what Israel claims it is capable of doing again.
While the operational details remain murky, Israeli officials acknowledged to The Washington Post that the phone calls and warning letters formed just one facet of a broader covert initiative, launched alongside overt military operations. The twin strategy—fire and fear—has sought to disorient the Iranian regime from both the skies and within the halls of its own leadership.
Like a cold wind passing through a house of cards, the campaign has reportedly disrupted Iran’s internal command structure. One source noted that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is struggling to name successors to slain commanders, as viable candidates recoil from the spotlight—and the crosshairs that come with it.
This psychological warfare effort—sophisticated, invasive, and deeply personal—reflects a sharpened evolution in Israel’s long-standing shadow conflict with Iran. No longer confined to the corridors of intelligence or the battlefield, the new campaign unfolds as a kind of mind game, a battle not just for territory or deterrence, but for the very perception of safety inside Iran’s ruling elite.
