The former head of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, does not believe the conflict with Iran can be ended quickly through military means.
Despite President Donald Trump’s claim that the war could conclude soon, Efraim Halevy told Focus magazine that the United States will not abandon Israel. “I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet” he said.
Halevy notes that the relationship between the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister is perhaps stronger now than at any other time. “Therefore a fundamental split is unlikely at the moment” he added, although Israel could theoretically continue fighting on its own.
He is convinced that the Israel‑Iran dispute can only be resolved politically in the long term, not militarily. “This view comes more from long‑term geopolitical patterns than from today’s politics” Halevy said. He pointed out that Israel and Iran have not always been enemies historically.
During the reign of the Shah, Israel and Iran maintained close ties, forming a sort of security triangle with Turkey. It was in that era that the Mossad laid the groundwork for its successful operations against Iran’s regime over the past years, establishing many contacts that helped build its clandestine network in the region.
Halevy firmly expects the United States to play a larger role in the Middle East. “As long as Trump is in office, I see that as likely” he said. He added that should the U.S. become the decisive political force in Iran, an intriguing dynamic could emerge: Israel as a close U.S. partner on one side, and a large country like Iran, with around 80 million people, on the other. Such a balance would grant the U.S. significant influence in the region.
Halevy led the Mossad from 1998 to 2002. Before that, he was a jurist who helped draft the Israel‑Jordan peace agreement signed in 1994.
