Yossi Melman
@yossi_melman · Israeli journalists — military, security, Arab affairs
Yossi Melman is Haaretz's veteran intelligence commentator and a longtime chronicler of the Mossad.
Last night, my film “מסיתים מבט” was screened at the “Babylon” cinema in Berlin to mark 30 years since Rabin’s assassination. Between 150 and 200 viewers attended. The audience was friendly and warm. There were no demonstrations, disruptions, or abusive chants. After the screening, a discussion was held with my participation, and with OZanany@, Chen Liberman of the Kan Corporation, and host Antonia Yamin of Channel 12.
Translated from HebrewI was invited to Berlin for a screening of my film “מסיתים מבט” about Rabin’s assassination this coming Wednesday at a cinema, followed by a panel on the elections in Israel. I discovered there was a half marathon and signed up. Today I ran and finished 840th among the men out of 854. I assume there were a few dozen more who did not finish. It turned out that I was the oldest of the runners. I am almost 76.
Translated from HebrewMaariv is publishing an interview today with Ruth Bar, Netanyahu’s “mistress” from the “hot tape” affair. Bar, who was Netanyahu’s adviser in the 1996 election, was interviewed on the occasion of the publication of her book. In July 2024, I published the full story about the tape that never existed and who called Netanyahu, causing him to panic and hurry to confess live on air.
Translated from HebrewAnother revelation. After the destruction of Syria's nuclear reactor in 2007, Mossad chief Dagan planned to kidnap Othman, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, to obtain information from him about how Assad had managed to deceive Israeli intelligence for years. The kidnapping was not carried out, but Mossad operatives knocked on Othman's door (according to reports) in Vienna and tried to recruit him. He slammed the door in their faces. My article
Translated from HebrewAfter 18 years, permission was granted to publish what had already been published abroad long ago: Shayetet 13 fighters killed the Syrian general Muhammad Suleiman in August 2008. They sailed in a vessel to the port of Tartus, disembarked from it in boats, climbed onto a roof near his villa, and 6 snipers shot him while he was dining with his wife and a couple of friends. Suleiman was the project manager for the construction of the nuclear reactor.
Translated from HebrewMy mother-in-law Glila Rosenzweig-Aloni died at the age of 102. She was a history teacher at Herzliya Gymnasium and was born in Safed. Bialik gave her her name. Her father, Dov Dubin-Aloni, a teacher and school principal, was a friend of Bialik. In 1913, at the age of 18, he was drafted into the Tsar's army, but was exempted for medical reasons. In Glila's archive, we found his documents
Translated from HebrewBecause of conflicts of interest, Zini and Gofman are barred from dealing with QatarGate—cooperation by people in the Prime Minister’s Office with an Islamist enemy state, in wartime, in exchange for financial gain. This is inconceivable. Their deputies will submit the opinions examining the security damage for the purpose of filing indictments. And still the Justice Ministry and the High Court refuse my request and @elad_man’s request to disclose their conflict-of-interest agreements to the public. My article
Translated from HebrewYou are invited to watch the screening of the film “מסיתים מבט,” which was first shown in October 2025 to mark 30 years since Rabin’s assassination. The film engages with the events of Netanyahu’s rule and has (in my humble opinion) added significance ahead of the fateful elections in the state’s history. The screening is on Tuesday, 15.9 at 16:00 in Tzavta Hall 1.
Translated from HebrewThe laundering, in a circular motion from Miami to Israel, of the alleged Iranian plan to assassinate Yair Netanyahu, and the questions about the timing of the publication, the platform, and the source that must be asked about the story. My article
Translated from HebrewIt was the testicles of Carlos the Jackal, who has been serving a life sentence in France for 32 years, that led to his capture in Sudan in 1994. The CIA provided the information. French intelligence agents carried out the arrest with the help of members of Omar al-Bashir’s Islamist Sudanese regime, who also provided shelter to Osama bin Laden at the time. A new and fascinating book by journalist Joby Warrick tells the story of the antisemitic, megalomaniacal Venezuelan who was considered an arch-terrorist in the 1970s and acted on behalf of Wadie Haddad’s terrorist organization, Muammar Gaddafi, and above all for himself. After boasting that he had slept with more than 400 women and killed 83 people with his own hands, he suffered from a medical condition called varicocele, something like "varicose veins in the scrotum," as Warrick puts it. Carlos’s Jordanian wife wanted a child, and his medical condition affected his sperm count, as well as his extramarital activity with other women. What Carlos did not know was that Cofer Black, the CIA station chief in Khartoum, was tracking him. The medical procedure in the area of his intimate organs provided the ideal opportunity to put an end to his notorious career of terror,
Translated from Hebrew@Mdais @DoverMDA Magen David Adom sent me a message about a debt and included a phone number for inquiries. I called. I waited 21 minutes on the line for an answer. I got fed up and hung up. Maybe someone at Magen David Adom will notice the tweet and get back to me. Thanks for your attention.
Translated from HebrewRoman Gofman should revoke Yossi Cohen’s right to enter the Mossad because he has revealed a secret again. Cohen boasted today, “We traveled to Fordow (the uranium-enrichment site that was bombed) many times.” “We traveled” creates the impression that perhaps he personally visited there as well. When Yossi retired, he revealed that the Mossad sends foreigners to Iran (and not blue-and-white [Israelis]). In the past, Ramsadim punished employees who exposed secrets and barred them from entering Glilot.
Translated from Hebrew