Israel courted Iran’s former hardline president for post-regime role, reports claim

The Guardian reports that Israel attempted to recruit Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a post-regime government in Tehran. Beginning in twenty twenty-two, the effort reportedly included Israel's top spy meeting Ahmadinejad in Budapest. The recruitment push is notable given Ahmadinejad's well-documented anti-Israel positions, including Holocaust denial and calls for Israel's erasure. The campaign reportedly continued even as Israel conducted military operations in Gaza against Hamas, an Iranian ally.

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