Former Israeli General Warns Iran Could Activate Sleeper Cells in the West After Khamenei’s Death

Tehran / Jerusalem / Washington – A former senior Israeli intelligence official has warned that Iran may activate sleeper cells across Western countries following the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of the Research Division at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Intelligence Corps, said pro-regime “dormant cells” could be mobilized to carry out attacks aimed at destabilizing the United States and its allies.

Iran Sleeper Cells “May Be Activated”

Kuperwasser stated that the Iranian regime has long maintained networks of supporters abroad.

“The regime has dormant cells that could try to carry out terror attacks,” he said.
“These cells are around the globe for such an eventuality, and they are probably working to wake them up now.”

According to him, potential retaliatory actions would be designed to impose costs on those seen as responsible for Khamenei’s death and to create instability in Western nations.

Khamenei Reported Killed in Airstrike

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was reportedly found dead following an airstrike on his compound on Saturday. Iranian authorities have vowed that the repercussions of his assassination “will extend to the world.”

One of Iran’s most senior grand ayatollahs declared it a religious obligation for Muslims to avenge the death of the country’s leader, further escalating tensions.

European Intelligence Concerns

Security concerns are not limited to the United States. German lawmaker Marc Henrichmann, who oversees Germany’s parliamentary intelligence committee, warned that retaliation cannot be ruled out.

“The Iranian regime has repeatedly demonstrated in the past that it carries out its terror beyond its own borders,” Henrichmann told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
“Retaliatory measures, including by Iranian sleeper cells in Europe, cannot be ruled out.”

Growing Global Security Tensions

Kuperwasser, who currently heads the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, emphasized that Iranian-linked networks may exist in countries with significant Iranian diaspora communities.

Security analysts say Western intelligence agencies are likely monitoring potential threats closely amid heightened geopolitical tensions following the reported strike.