Le Figaro reports Israel drafted plan to capture Tehran with 150,000 opposition force

TEHRAN, Iran — French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Israel prepared a secret plan to back an opposition force of roughly 150,000 people inside Iran, seize several cities and advance on the capital, Tehran, to topple the regime from within. The plan became public after information leaked to the media, according to the report. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department assessed the project as "unrealistic," Le Figaro said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also objected to the plan, citing its potential impact on the Kurdish file. The paper reported that the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service dismissed the intelligence director and the official responsible for the Iran file following the leaks and internal disputes. Separately, the report cited Erdoğan as saying regarding the possibility of war with Israel, "We will never refrain from doing what is necessary against anyone who attacks Turkey with war." No further details on the alleged plan or its operational status were immediately available.