Two separate reports, one published recently by The New York Times in the US and the other by Israeli daily Haaretz, have reignited debate over Israel's thinking about regime change in Iran.
They have also raised questions over the role of ultraconservative former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad— who served two terms from 2005 to 2013 — in Iranian politics.
According to the reports, Israeli officials allegedly explored installing Ahmadinejad as a possible figurehead in a post-Islamic Republic scenario, with efforts reportedly intensifying during the war and involving secret contacts in Hungary.
The reports have attracted attention partly because of their sensational details.
They claim that Ahmadinejad was moved to a safe house after his compound was hit by an Israeli air strike on February 28, 2026, and that David Barnea, the former chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence service, personally oversaw part of the contact effort, which reportedly included a meeting in Budapest.
