Der Spiegel: ‘It looks as though Mossad grossly overestimated itself and its capabilities [in Iran]. How could that have happened?’

And: ‘Mossad takes great pains to remain invisible. There is no official address, no listing on Google Maps, no photo of its headquarters.’

Also: ‘"If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first" – this line from the Jewish Talmud remains the service's informal motto to this day. And that, of course, has to do with the Holocaust.’

As well: ‘To promote new developments and gain early access to them – in areas such as robotics, data analysis, profiling and drones – Mossad even founded its own venture capital fund for start-ups around 10 years ago.’

Regime change in Iran failed, this article suggests, because the Mossad became more loyal to the prime minister than to the state.

Too many states are run like mafia families, with all kinds of consequences.

(a sf 2213)