In a highly sensitive and unprecedented move, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, allegedly conducted a covert surveillance operation targeting Indian National Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda, the head of the Indian Overseas Congress and a close advisor often described as Gandhi’s political mentor. The mission, initiated under the directive of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed to uncover potential connections between Indian opposition leaders and the controversial American short-seller Hindenburg Research.
According to sources quoted by the Russian news agency Sputnik, Mossad’s involvement was triggered shortly after January 24, 2023 – the day Hindenburg Research released a damning report accusing the Adani Group of orchestrating one of the largest corporate frauds in Indian history. The fallout was swift and severe, wiping out nearly US$ 150 billion in Adani’s market value and triggering a major stock market crash in India.
At that time, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) had just finalized a US$ 1.2 billion agreement to acquire majority stakes in the strategically vital Haifa Port in Israel. The deal, which was the culmination of 18 months of competitive bidding involving 18 contenders, was viewed as a linchpin for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC)- a critical geopolitical and economic project.
During a meeting in Israel to mark the Haifa Port acquisition, Prime Minister Netanyahu is reported to have raised direct concerns with Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. The Israeli leader questioned the implications of the Hindenburg report, asking, “This report, it is a serious threat to your business, isn’t it?”
Adani dismissed the allegations, replying, “Not at all. It’s all lies”.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu appeared unconvinced. “Even if you see no threat, we have to be concerned. If it weakens you, it could sabotage not just this port deal but everything we have worked to build with India”, he reportedly said. Describing the Hindenburg accusations as an “indirect attack” on Israeli interests, Netanyahu reportedly assured Adani: “Israel believes in protecting its friends. We’re going to look into this – very closely”.
Unbeknownst to Adani at the time, Netanyahu had already made the decision to activate Mossad.
According to Sputnik, this decision led to the launch of “Operation Zeppelin” – an intelligence-gathering initiative designed to track the international network suspected of orchestrating or supporting the Hindenburg report and its subsequent fallout.
Two of Mossad’s elite units – Tzomet (specializing in human intelligence) and Keshet (focused on cyber operations) – were mobilized. Their mission: to trace the origins and backers of what was viewed not just as a corporate attack, but a geo-economic assault on a crucial Indo-Israeli alliance.
Hindenburg’s founder, Nathan Anderson, and his New York-based office were immediately placed under surveillance. Mossad began piecing together what it believed to be a broader conspiracy involving activist lawyers, sympathetic media outlets, hedge funds, and high-profile political actors. A significant number of these individuals were said to be connected with figures in the Biden administration, the Deep State in the US, and George Soros.
The surveillance operation soon led Mossad to prominent Indian opposition figures, including Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda. Citing sources familiar with the investigation, Sputnik claims that encrypted data extracted from Pitroda’s US-based home servers unveiled covert communications and backchannel interactions allegedly tying them to Hindenburg and its global supporters.
According to these claims, Rahul Gandhi – referred to as the “bitter dynast” in Mossad’s internal files – was actively coordinating with Hindenburg’s network to damage the reputation of both Adani and the Modi government. The intelligence also reportedly places Gandhi in California’s Palo Alto in May 2023, where he is said to have met with individuals linked to the Hindenburg operation. Separately, investigative reports from Blitz suggest that Gandhi also held private meetings with Nathan Anderson in New York.
While the Indian National Congress has strongly denied any involvement with Hindenburg, Soros, or any foreign interference campaigns, they argue that these allegations are part of a broader narrative designed to deflect attention from the contents of the Hindenburg report itself. The revelations triggered political turmoil in India, leading to fierce debates and the disruption of entire Parliamentary sessions.
Mossad’s inquiry reportedly extended beyond India and the US, covering Europe, Canada, and Australia. In September 2023, the agency is said to have decrypted an email from Anderson acknowledging a broader scheme. “Nate’s report was just the beginning. More’s coming”, the email allegedly read.
In January 2024, Adani was formally briefed on Operation Zeppelin by Israeli intelligence during a confidential meeting in Switzerland. The resulting dossier – spanning 353 pages – allegedly detailed the scope of the anti-Adani campaign and implicated several Western media outlets, non-governmental organizations, and foreign political actors. Among those named were USAID, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), and Indian opposition leaders.
According to Sputnik, USAID played a “central role” in amplifying anti-Adani content via OCCRP and select Western media platforms. In November 2024, Mossad reportedly shared excerpts from the Operation Zeppelin dossier with major news agencies including Reuters, Bloomberg, and The Guardian through intermediaries. While most outlets reportedly chose not to publish the information, French investigative outlet Mediapart eventually ran a story based on the leaked findings.
Further repercussions followed. Later in 2024, US federal agencies – the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission – launched legal proceedings against Adani. The cases reportedly failed to hold up under scrutiny, eventually resulting in the resignation of Breon Peace, then US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
By December 2024, Adani’s legal team at Quinn Emanuel responded with a formal seven-page legal notice to Hindenburg. In January of this year, Anderson agreed to dissolve Hindenburg Research in exchange for legal immunity – a deal nullified shortly after Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Throughout the investigation and the broader crisis, Mossad is said to have maintained active surveillance on senior Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda, regarding them as key players in an international attempt to undermine a vital Indo-Israeli economic alliance.
While many of the details remain contested and shrouded in official silence, the claims – if verified – highlight a dramatic and potentially game-changing intersection of intelligence, geopolitics, and high-stakes finance.
No political ambition, however great, can justify a betrayal of one’s own nation. If the revelations from Mossad’s Operation Zeppelin are to be believed, Rahul Gandhi’s alleged collusion with foreign entities – including Deep State operatives, George Soros, and other anti-India networks – transcends the boundaries of political rivalry. Such actions, if proven true, may well constitute sedition and high treason. In any civilized democracy, there must be room for dissent and debate – but never for conspiracies that aim to destabilize the nation from within. No leader, regardless of stature or lineage, should ever work against the interests of their own country.
