As usual, Iran claimed it had thwarted the attack, but a thwarted attack doesn’t bring down the roof of a building like he saw in the photo. What had to be especially enraging to the IRGC was the fact that quadcopters have such a limited range. They had to suspect that this damage was caused by their own citizens.

And they’d be right about that. The ayatollahs would be amazed at how many people hate them enough that they would come alongside outside forces to sabotage their own government. But this is nothing compared to what we pulled off in our latest attack on Natanz in April.

The Natanz operation was classic Mossad. Nir would have loved to have been part of it, but it wasn’t his type of operation. It was an intricate plot carried out over the long-term, so there was no need for a Kidon-style strike. Mossad agents posing as dissidents approached ten scientists who worked at the Natanz nuclear facility, which was still recovering from the construction materials blast in July of last year. Over time, they won them over to their side and convinced them to sabotage their own nuclear plant. Using both quadcopters and food deliveries, pieces of an explosive device were smuggled in. The scientists assembled the parts, then detonated the bomb.

It wasn’t the size of the blast that caused so much damage but where it was located. The bomb went off alongside the main power supply for the plant. The ensuing blackout shut down the centrifuges in the uranium enrichment center, causing the machines to overheat. Ninety percent of the facility’s centrifuges were destroyed, setting Iran’s nuclear program back by months.

He tucked the photos and report back into a folder, then reached for an envelope. After unwinding a red string, he opened it and scanned the contents—something about rumblings with Putin in Russia. His mind, though, drifted back to the Iran operations.

Once again, the damage cost them only months. Those months will pass, and then we’ll be right back where we were with a soon-to-be-nuclear-equipped Tehran and a giant target right here on Tel Aviv.

Tossing the papers onto his desk, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. No matter how many times he flew, he still fought jet lag whether he was going east or west. During the April Natanz attack, he’d stayed in Antwerp working at Yael Diamonds. But when he heard about the TESA operation, he wanted to be here to watch. Using the excuse of having to buy diamonds at the exchange in Ramat Gan, he’d flown in three days ago.

The team, minus Nicole, had watched the action via satellite. This time Liora provided a huge bowl of caramel corn, and it was addictive. He still felt a bit of a sugar hangover after the massive quantities he’d eaten.