Yossi Cohen says Mossad spies toured Fordow nuclear site

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said Israeli spies had visited Iran's Fordow nuclear site "many times" to understand the facility, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Cohen, who led Israel's intelligence agency from 2015 to 2021, did not say when the visits took place or who carried them out.

Israeli media also reported that Cohen said the United States bombing of Fordow was "the fulfillment of all my dreams". The United States used advanced aircraft to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during a 12-day conflict in which it briefly joined Israel.

Iran's nuclear programme has long been disputed by Tehran and Western governments. Tehran has denied seeking to produce a nuclear bomb.

Cohen is close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has remained visible in Israeli media since leaving Mossad. He played a prominent role during his term in US-brokered normalisation deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.