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Recent investigative reports and newly unveiled documents highlighting the interactions between former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Jeffrey Epstein have rekindled assertions that Epstein was affiliated with Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. However, this theory is being staunchly denied by Israeli intelligence insiders and prominent political figures.
Former Israeli intelligence personnel have conveyed to Fox News Digital that Epstein was never associated with Mossad, dismissing these claims as unfounded and contrary to the operational methods of the agency.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly countered these assertions, stating on X: “The peculiar closeness between Jeffrey Epstein and Ehud Barak doesn’t indicate Epstein’s involvement with Israel. In fact, it suggests quite the opposite.”
In the same post, Netanyahu intensified his critique by adding: “Still fixated on his electoral defeat from over twenty years ago, Barak has consistently tried to destabilize Israeli democracy by collaborating with the anti-Zionist radical left in unsuccessful attempts to topple the duly elected Israeli government.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also vehemently rejected these accusations, asserting: “As a former Prime Minister of Israel, having directly overseen the Mossad, I can affirm with absolute certainty: The claim that Jeffrey Epstein was involved with Israel or that the Mossad operated a blackmail scheme is entirely false. Epstein’s actions, both criminal and otherwise reprehensible, had no connection to the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein was never employed by the Mossad.”
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is seen in this handout image from the estate of late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Dec. 12, 2025. (House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via Reuters)
Ex-Mossad director Yossi Cohen also rejected the claims in a podcast interview with The Free Press, saying Epstein had “absolutely nothing” to do with the Mossad — “not an agent, not an operative, nothing.”
The strong denials come amid renewed scrutiny of emails, financial records and communications included in U.S. Justice Department materials and other public reporting, none of which indicate that Epstein cooperated with Israeli intelligence.
Barak, who served as prime minister from 1999 to 2001 and later as defense minister in Netanyahu’s government, has become one of Netanyahu’s most vocal political opponents.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak during a press conference on July 25, 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Former Israeli Prime Minister join forces with Left Wing party Meretz and Stav Shafir of Labor ahead of September elections. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barak’s office fired back, describing Netanyahu’s remarks as politically motivated and reiterating that he regrets ever meeting Epstein while denying any wrongdoing.
“Barak has repeatedly and publicly stated that he regrets ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein. There is no credible allegation—none—that Barak engaged in any illegal or inappropriate conduct,” the statement said.
Barak’s office also called Netanyahu’s attacks “the desperate acts of a failed and panicked politician” and “a pathetic attempt to divert attention from his catastrophic record,” accusing the prime minister of attempting to shift blame for national failures.
Newly surfaced materials continue to document Barak’s personal and professional interactions with Epstein, including stays at Epstein’s New York apartment and meetings arranged through the financier.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in federal custody in 2019. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)
Emails cited in document releases describe the apartment as being used by Barak and his then-wife during visits to the United States, with staff coordinating logistics and maintenance requests tied to the property.
Other communications referenced financial ties and introductions facilitated by Epstein, including meetings with prominent business figures, as well as broader correspondence and internal notes referencing allegations, warnings and speculation surrounding Epstein’s activities.
Barak has acknowledged meeting Epstein multiple times and said he regrets the association. In a previous interview, he said he never witnessed improper behavior and never participated in anything illegal.
“At times during my occasional visits to the United States, I was sometimes a participant in a breakfast or lunch or dinner at his New York townhouse, together with respected American public figures,” Barak said. “At no point in my dealings with him did I ever witness any improper behavior, and I certainly never participated in anything like that.”