Zohar Palti, a former Israeli official, participated in Nadav Perry's podcast and reflected on the tensions in the Middle East. “Israeli society has shown that it is much stronger than our enemies believe,” he said.
By Sun of Mary
“When I woke up this morning, Iran still did not have nuclear weapons,” he said. Zohar Palti, former head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate, during his participation in the Israeli journalist's podcast Nadav Perry.Striking a tone of caution but also firmness, he made clear that while we cannot let our guard down, joint actions by Israel, the United States and other allies have so far prevented the Iranian regime from crossing the nuclear threshold.We can't relax," He insisted, stressing that the challenge remains a top priority for Israeli security.
Drawing on his vast experience as an architect of intelligence strategies, Palti reflected on some of the most critical moments in recent decades in the region, including tensions with Iran, the security challenges posed by Syria, and the impact of historic Abraham Accords in the stability of the Middle East. With every word, he conveyed the complexity of a geopolitical chessboard that is constantly changing. “Investments in defense and technology have given us room to maneuver that we did not have before. However, the challenges are becoming more sophisticated, and we cannot be complacent.”
The former official also addressed the impact of the events of October 7, 2023, which marked a turning point in the international perception of Israel. According to him, that day was a test for both national security and the resilience of the population. “At the time of the crisis, political divisions ceased to matter. Israeli society has shown that it is much stronger than our enemies believe”, he pointed.
Iran and the nuclear threat
From the perspective of Zohar Palti, Iran's nuclear program represents one of the greatest challenges to global security, but also an example of how international cooperation can curb dangerous ambitions. “We can discuss the definition of a ‘threshold state,’” he said, referring to the point at which a country is one step away from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, he made clear that Iran has not yet made a final decision to cross that threshold. “What is certain is that they do not have a bomb today”, he stated bluntly.
Palti, who has been at the centre of Israeli intelligence operations for decades, stressed that this stalemate is no coincidence. Over the years, numerous preventive actions to weaken Iran’s nuclear infrastructure have been documented. “Over the past 20 years I have read in the newspapers about a vast chain of events: Stuxnet, explosions… But that does not mean we can relax,” he warned, recalling that success so far does not guarantee a future free of threats.
Paper United States in this dynamic has been fundamental, according to Palti. During the interview, he praised the operational and strategic capacity of the American forces, especially in critical situations. “What happened in April was something incredible. What the Israeli Air Force achieved together with CENTCOM (US Central Command) during the Iranian attack is worthy of a movie,” he said, highlighting how allied forces intercepted 99% of the Iranian missiles. Palti highlighted the unprecedented coordination that allowed the skies to be cleared of civilian flights in a matter of hours, leaving only the “bad guys” in the air. “It’s a level of power that has never been demonstrated before,” he commented admiringly.
However, Palti warned that the margin for error is slim. “The double edge of Iran’s use of ground-to-ground missiles is that they ‘forced’ us to strike directly in Iran. Now, that psychological barrier no longer exists. We have already done it twice, and this is even before the Iranians’ use of ground-to-ground missiles is a double edge.” Trump re-enter the equation,” he explained, referring to the latent tensions between the two countries.
Although he acknowledged the unpredictability of a possible future Donald Trump administration, he did not hesitate to highlight the capabilities of the United States to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. “Even on a bad day, the Americans know how to dismantle this threat within eight hours. They have capabilities that no other power in the world has in this regard,” he said, but warned that everything depends on decision-making. “They just need to make the right decision. Whether they will do it or not, I don’t know. That’s why we have been developing our own capabilities for years,” he concluded.
Despite the tensions, the former intelligence chief stressed that Israel will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. “We must continue to do what we have done for the past 40 years to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons. If necessary, we will attack. The psychological barrier has already been broken,” he said.
Military coordination and Israeli resilience

For Palti, cooperation between Israel and the United States has been both strategic and vital in defending the common interests of both countries in the Middle East. Throughout the interview, he stressed how this relationship has allowed Israel to develop defensive capabilities that are unique in the world. “Israel and the United States have invested billions in building a ‘canopy of defense’, which includes systems such as the Iron Dome, David's Sling y arrow 2″, he explained. He added: “We will soon have laser interceptors, which will further improve the system.”
Collaboration is not only about technology, but also about shared intelligence. The former head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate highlighted a recent example: “The Americans understood, through our joint intelligence, that an Iranian attack was imminent. They called all the leaders in the Middle East and said, ‘Friends, listen, in two hours there will be no civilian flights in the entire region. ’ That level of coordination is unprecedented.”
The former official also reflected on advances in Israel's ability to defend itself from external threats, but warned that the country's resilience is just as important. According to him, Hezbollah and Iran have underestimated the strength of Israeli society. “Contrary to the theories of Iran and Nasrallah, Israelis are very resilient. That is why, unlike the nuclear threat, the ‘ring of fire’ of Iran’s proxies and its war of attrition are not existential threats,” he noted.
In the context of military operations, Palti spoke about the preparation and the long process involved in each mission.Each such operation requires between three and ten years of work. "Let's assume that the people who knew how to carry out the pager operation also know how to carry out similar operations on a broader, state-wide level," he said, alluding to Israel's covert actions in enemy territory.
However, October 7 marked a turning point. For Palti, that day was a test not only for national security, but also for Israel’s internal cohesion. “Nasrallah made a mistake in thinking he understood Israel, but he didn’t. He saw division in Israeli politics, but he failed to understand what you and I, as Israelis, immediately understood: at the moment of October 7, politics ceased to matter,” he stated resolutely.
Palti also reflected on how Israeli society mobilizes in times of crisis, a phenomenon he considers unique.The resilience of the Israelis is something our enemies fail to understand. “That is our greatest strength and, at the same time, the biggest mistake of those who attack us,” he concluded.
The former official noted that despite the challenges, Israeli society has a unique ability to overcome adversity. “If we get out of this current situation, Israelis are hard-working people, and I believe our economy will create opportunities. The world will recognize this, and investments will return, but everything will depend on whether we can stabilize ourselves internally.”He said.
Syria's role and its regional impact
In the interview, Palti devoted part of his analysis to examining the situation in Syria, a country whose civil war and collapse have transformed the balance of power in the region. He explained the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as well as the weakening of his allies, has created new dynamics that pose both opportunities and risks. “In the early 2000s, what we call the ‘axis of evil’ began to form. But that axis no longer exists. Assad has fallen, Hezbollah is not in the same state as last year, and Iran has squandered many of its military capabilities,” he explained.
Despite this weakening, Palti stressed that the situation in Syria remains a cause for concern, not so much for the country itself, but for how its problems could spill over into other key neighbours, such as Jordan. “The problem is not Syria itself, but how it could affect Jordan. "If something destabilizes Jordan, we will find ourselves in uncharted territory," he warned, emphasizing the strategic importance of Jordanian stability for the region and for Israel's interests.
One of Palti's biggest fears is that Iran, losing influence in Syria, will redirect its efforts toward Jordan.“Now that the Iranians have lost Syria, where will they turn? Perhaps to Jordan? I constantly wonder from what direction we could be taken by surprise from an intelligence perspective," he said.
The relationship between Israel and Jordan has been a pillar of stability for decades, and Palti did not downplay the importance of preserving it. “If there is one thing that is most important to Israel, it is the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. These have been the two most stable elements in recent decades. If, God forbid, something destabilizes them, we will find ourselves in uncharted waters,” he said.
In addition to the strategic implications, the former head highlighted the economic connection that could emerge if stability is maintained in the region. “If there is a deal with the Saudis, imagine the tremendous economic flow that could pass through Jordan. Jordan is crucial to many issues: the Palestinian issues, the strategic depth of the Gulf states and the land connection between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” he explained.
Taking a balanced approach, Palti acknowledged that the situation in Syria also offers opportunities, as long as it is handled carefully. “I don’t want to sound alarmist, but we will need to invest significant resources to monitor developments around Jordan. There are opportunities here, but we need to resolve this situation first so that our people can go home,” he concluded, referring to the human and political impact of the current conflicts in the region.
The Abraham Accords and new opportunities in the Middle East

As someone who played a key role in the Abraham Accords, Zohar Palti In the interview, Palti highlighted the historical and strategic importance of these agreements for the region. Beyond its military component, Palti emphasized that the main interest of the signatory countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, was not about defense, but about Israel’s innovation and economic potential. “As someone who had the honor of signing the security component of the Abraham Accords, I can say that military power was the last thing they were interested in. What they wanted was our technology, our expertise in artificial intelligence and the geniuses behind Israeli patents,” he said.
The former official cited concrete examples of how these relations have been strengthened even in times of crisis. During the recent conflict, Emirates airlines, such as Etihad y Fly Dubai, continued to fly to Tel Aviv, while many Western airlines suspended their operations. “The Americans and Europeans forgot their friendship with us in this context, but the Emiratis made an incredible strategic decision,” he said.
Despite the challenges facing these agreements, Palti was optimistic about their future. “The Abraham Accords, which are still ‘young’ at just three years old, have faced their biggest crisis. And yet Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco have kept their commitments. That is something remarkable,” he said, stressing that these relations are much deeper than many believe.
The former head of the Mossad Intelligence Directorate also spoke about the prospects of expanding the agreements to include other key countries, such as Saudi Arabia e Indonesia, and the implications this could have for Israel and the region. “There are still two important countries missing, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Their entry into the agreements would represent a tremendous economic boost for everyone,” he said, suggesting that the potential for collaboration with these countries could transform the economic and political landscape of the Middle East.
In particular, he praised the leadership of figures such as Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ), the president of the United Arab Emirates, whom he described as a visionary. “MBZ, who I think is an incredible leader, was not just looking for a military alliance. He wanted our friendship because he values our ingenuity, our ability to innovate in high technology,” he said.
Palti also highlighted the symbolism behind these agreements, which represent not only a shift in regional alliances, but also an opportunity to overcome historical barriers. “The Abraham Accords are much more than treaties. They are a declaration that cooperation and progress can triumph over conflict and hostility.”He said.
The Abraham Accords may well have been the main trigger for the 7 October terrorist attacks, as they were a turning point, similar to or even greater than the achievements of the peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt, with numerous implications for many countries or interests, and the peace agreement with Egypt cost Anwar el-Sadat his life in the 1981 assassination attempt. Egypt was also the birthplace of pan-Arabism, naturally all united against Israel, and even Palestinian leader Amin al-Hussein joined in for a few years. Al-Husseini, like many of his class and era, moved from Damascus-oriented pan-Arabism to a specifically Palestinian ideology, centred on Jerusalem, which sought to block Jewish immigration to British Mandate Palestine.
There have always been many interests in the Middle East, and with the Abraham Accords Israel must tread carefully, from the economic interests of the great powers, to the geostrategic and military interests, such as those of, without going any further, Spain, a country without any military danger except a minimal one from Morocco, one of the countries that signed the Abraham Accords and that have been allies of the United States for many years, or except for that provoked by the Spanish military themselves, even with many fascist tendencies, not a few continue their continuous threats and high-sounding declarations, especially against the claims of the separatist regions.
In the past, fascist countries like Spain were very friendly to the Moors. Shortly before Franco signed the military pacts with the United States in 1953, the Spanish fascists even collaborated militarily with the Arab countries, taking advantage of their common anti-Semitic ideologies and for oil. Franco even sent Falangists, weapons and Nazi fighter planes and bombers, sold to him by Hitler's Germany, to help the Arab countries during the Israeli War of Independence from 1.948 to 1.953. Nazi Germany also had common interests with the Muslims. The Belgian Nazi Leon Degrelle, one of the Nazi criminals who found refuge in Spain, gave speeches and interviews in Spain in which he always praised Nazism and stressed his great admiration for Hitler, and in his grandiloquent phrases he mixed Nazi ideology with what seemed to be religious slogans, which he had adapted from those he learned from the Catholicism he professed, coming from his Jesuit teachers at the school in Catholic Belgium. Degrelle was also very anti-Semitic, and defined his much admired Hitler as a very religious person, an impeccable Christian, only he was not a clergyman, that is, he did not obey all the orders of the Vatican or the high Catholic hierarchy, he said this in relation to the Muslim Divisions that the Nazis recruited in the Balkan countries, the volunteers that the Palestinian leader Amin al-Husseini gathered, and to whom the Nazis gave a gold pendant with a small Koran on behalf of Hitler. This Nazi religiosity would be apart from the more than dubious religiosity that many other Nazis had, or at least the SS elites, who rather followed bizarre beliefs mixing various religions, occultism and historical fantasies. Apparently, the Nazis do not care about any religion or belief, anything goes as long as it is not Judaism.
It was also said that the terrorists took advantage of the moment of political instability in Israel with the continuous massive protests against Netanyahu, protests that continue more or less the same, adding the hostage problem to the protests against the Netanyahu trials. Although it is very difficult for a terrorist attack of the magnitude and extreme cruelty of October 7 to have been magnified in any way by the terrorists with the internal situation in Israel, on the contrary, the forceful response from Israel was more than expected, but abroad they have achieved what they had planned or intended, at least in the West with many of the leftists and communists, while in the rest of the Muslim countries they have not managed to get as much popular support or support from terrorists, which they surely would have achieved in the near past.
One never knows what the future will bring or the consequences of what is happening, whether the Abraham Accords will bring lasting peace to Israel and the rest of the Western countries, or whether they will provoke the rise of new jihadist terrorist groups and greater animosity from fundamentalist countries like Iran. Just as it is said that happened with the rise of international jihadist terrorism, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State appeared as a response of Muslim religious fundamentalism against globalization, together with the spread of Western customs that fostered cheap tourism, satellite television, the Internet, etc. Or before that, Nazism could even have appeared as a response to Darwin's theory of evolution, which destroyed the pillars of the Christian religion, or at least it was the trigger that led "The Prophet" of the fascists and Nazis, the philosopher Nietzsche, to leave his studies to become a Lutheran priest, like his father, and went on to become the greatest intellectual scourge against the great monotheistic religions and the main figure of nihilism or atheism, although the fascists and Nazis reinterpreted and reinterpret Nietzsche's nihilism as they please, just as they did and do with the scientific theory of evolution. No less important right now are the changes that are taking place, sometimes so fast that there is hardly time to digest them, such as Artificial Intelligence, social relations and business on the Internet, sustainable energy sources and electric cars, or thanks to paleogenetics, new theories of human evolution have been discovered that destroy all the fantasies of racists, against which it remains to be seen what all these new ultra-rightists and fascists that have emerged throughout Europe and the rest of the world plan to invent.