Israel’s Spy Master Speaks: Yossi Cohen on Secret Ops, Iran, Hamas and the War for Global Opinion

Sep 23, 2025

Yossi Cohen, the former head of Israel's Mossad and author of The Sword of Freedom, shares insights on Israel's security landscape. He reveals the repercussions of the 12-Day War and Israel's ongoing challenges with Hamas and Iran. Cohen discusses the October 7 intelligence failure, the rise of anti-Israel sentiment, and the importance of strategic negotiations with Arab leaders. He also reflects on his tenure, the role of Mossad in conspiracy theories, and the complexities of Israel’s military dominance in the region.

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INSIGHT

Iran's Regional Axis And October 7 Shift

Iran built a regional axis to project power across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza over decades.
October 7 flipped dynamics and pushed Israel to counter that Iranian expansion aggressively.

INSIGHT

Military Dominance vs Diplomatic Cost

Israel gained unprecedented military dominance across the region but faces rising diplomatic costs.
Military success does not automatically protect Israel from global reputational and political fallout.

INSIGHT

The Missing Hasbara And Its Cost

Cohen blames Israel's poor international messaging and leadership for worsening global opinion.
He argues a concerted, professional communication effort could have mitigated reputational damage.

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The former head of the Israeli Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, joins Mo News for a rare, candid interview about Israel’s security challenges and the region’s shifting landscape. Cohen led the agency from 2016 to 2021, overseeing the theft of Iran’s nuclear archive, covert operations that damaged Tehran’s missile and nuclear programs, and back-channel negotiations that paved the way for the Abraham Accords. He is the author of a new book, The Sword of Freedom, discussing his career and the state of the region. Now out of government and weighing political ambitions, he reflects on his tenure and the lessons of the past two years.

We discuss:

The state of Israel’s fight with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran after the 12-Day War — and how much damage was done to Iran’s military and psychological capacity.
The October 7 intelligence failure and why Israel missed warnings about Hamas.
The damage to Israel’s reputation, with rising anti-Israel sentiment, accusations of war crimes and surging antisemitism worldwide.
Behind-the-scenes negotiations with Arab leaders, Saudi Arabia’s potential as Israel’s most influential partner, and the future of a Palestinian state.
His view of Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump— and when he thinks the war in Gaza will end.
Why Mossad is blamed in so many conspiracy theories — like Jeffrey Epstein and the death of Charlie Kirk.

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Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022.