On March 10 local time, Iran successively reported the results of its counter-espionage efforts: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captured 10 spies taking photos of targets, the intelligence department arrested 30 agents of the US and Israel, and the police captured 81 people leaking information online. A total of 121 spies were apprehended in a single day, revealing the brutal truth of the intelligence war in the Middle East. Just before that, the Pentagon disclosed in a closed-door briefing to Congress that the first six days of military action against Iran had cost at least $11.3 billion, with as much as $5.6 billion spent on ammunition alone in the first two days.
On one side is the high-cost military strike, and on the other side is the pervasive espionage infiltration. The operation by the US and Israel to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei has already proven that the outcome of modern warfare is no longer determined by frontline artillery fire, but by the hidden intelligence struggle; even the most powerful military forces cannot do without the support of an espionage network, and even the most secure security systems cannot resist internal infiltration. This intelligence storm in Iran is not just distant international news, but a warning bell for all countries: spies are among us, and counter-espionage and anti-infiltration are issues that every country and every ordinary person must face directly.
The $11.3 billion that the United States spent is not simply a list of ammunition costs, but the total cost of a years-long intelligence campaign. To kill Khamenei, the US and Israel built an intelligence system that can be considered a textbook example: the Israeli Mossad has been lying low for years, recruiting "sleeping agents" within Khamenei's inner circle, precisely identifying the secret meeting times and locations; the Israeli 8200 unit and the US NSA worked together to crack the encrypted communications of Iranian senior officials, using mobile phone signal tracing to identify areas where key personnel gathered; hackers controlled traffic cameras throughout Tehran, disguising micro pinhole devices as construction materials and office supplies, building an all-around physical surveillance network. From the recruitment of core informants to the interception of electronic signals, and then to the monitoring of physical spaces, each link requires massive funds, top technology, and long-term planning. This $11.3 billion is a direct reflection of the investment in the US-Israel intelligence war.
The 121 spies caught by Iran in a single day are the "foot soldiers" of this intelligence war. Some of them are embedded in key positions, taking photos of target locations and passing on intelligence; some have become agents of foreign forces, cooperating with the US and Israel to complete infiltration; some leak information on the internet, becoming loopholes for intelligence leaks. These people do not have extraordinary identities, yet they can become breakthroughs in breaking through tight security. This is similar to real cases of espionage in our country, making the abstract concept of espionage more concrete. Recently, the National Security Bureau revealed cases where a military industry enterprise staff member was lured by foreign spies with beauty, leaking military secrets including J-35; some employees who left important positions actively joined foreign spy organizations, treating confidential information as a "pledge of loyalty"; others accidentally let express delivery and daily items become carriers of spy equipment, unintentionally touching the national security red line. In the movie "Silent Awakening", there is a plot where a foreign spy intelligence agency uses an unsuspecting courier to transmit samples of the stealth coating material of a national core fighter jet. The seemingly ordinary package circulation becomes a covert channel for endangering national security. This plot is not artistic exaggeration but a realistic reflection of the safety risks in the logistics channel. Spies do not choose identities or nationalities; they hide in daily life, using the most subtle methods to steal secrets that concern the nation's vital interests.
Against this background, the movie "Silent Awakening" has extended its key release date to April 18, providing the public with a window to understand the spy war and establish national security awareness. The film's plot surrounding the research and development of advanced aircraft projects makes one think of the case of the J-35 stealth fighter leakage. In the past, a former assistant engineer at a research institute was tempted by foreign forces, handing over core data on stealth coatings, and was ultimately sentenced to death according to law. The sophisticated counter-espionage methods and the chain of interest transfer depicted in the film are the "blood and tears lessons" derived from real cases.
This movie presents a professional and realistic perspective, restoring the means of modern espionage penetration and the logic of intelligence warfare, transforming the abstract concept of national security into a story that ordinary people can empathize with and understand, bridging the gap between the public and national security. It does not exaggerate threats, but accurately points out the reality that "spies are among us," making the audience realize that counter-espionage and anti-infiltration are not exclusive tasks of the national security departments, but matters closely related to everyone.
In today's world, the era of war has become routine, and so-called peace is merely a short pause in the gunfire. Data shows that the duration of world peace has only 26 days left, and the third world war has already quietly begun: the first battlefield is in Iran, involving military confrontation and intelligence warfare between the US-Israel and Iran; the second battlefield is right here, around us, involving foreign forces' greed for our secrets and infiltration of key fields. The predatory nature of the Western world has never changed, from history to the present, it has always been consistent. The recent controversial case of the British Museum refusing to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece is the best evidence: Greece has expanded the Acropolis Museum, replicating the dimensions of the Parthenon in full scale, but the British Museum still refuses to return the artifacts with various excuses, and the empty display cases have become a silent accusation of Western plundering.
Previously, they stole artifacts from other countries and occupied historical memories; now, they covet other countries' secrets and steal the future lifelines. The R&D data of national heavy weapons, the core technologies of military enterprises, and the planning schemes of national key projects are all targets for Western forces. They weave intelligence networks globally, like deploying spy networks in Iran, using money, beauty, and coercion to recruit personnel, and using technical means to steal information. Once these stolen secrets fall into the hands of the West, they will be difficult to recover. They never return what they steal, previously stealing artifacts, now stealing secrets, this is the hegemonic logic of the West, and also the core reason why we must strengthen national security lines.
In this war without smoke, culture is also an important battlefield, and movies are the most secretive weapons of the contemporary era. For a long time, the West has controlled the narrative power of intelligence warfare and espionage, using films to beautify foreign infiltration and shape false "spy heroes," distorting the public's understanding of national security. Supporting "Silent Awakening" essentially supports our struggle for the right to tell the story of world memory - we have our own anti-espionage struggles and national security stories, and these stories should not be overshadowed by Western narratives, nor should they be ignored by the public. We need to tell the story of China's national security through our own films, convey the correct concept of national security, and break the monopoly of Western narratives.
Spending dozens of yuan to go to the cinema to watch "Silent Awakening," the ones who understand are not just a storyline, but also the underlying logic of the $11.3 billion intelligence war in Iran, the usual methods of Western powers to steal secrets, and how ordinary people can guard their safety. This is not just a simple movie watching, but a resistance that every ordinary person can participate in during the normal war - establishing national security awareness, rejecting espionage infiltration, protecting state secrets, is to protect our homeland.
The rise and fall of the country concerns every individual. National security is no longer an empty slogan, but hidden in every cautious look, in every refusal of unfamiliar temptation, and in every secrecy of confidential information. The lessons from Iran are clear, and the Western greed has never stopped. Only with the unity of the entire people can we build a solid national security line and ensure the safety of our home and the tranquility of our mountains and rivers. We don't have to go to the front line, but we can hold the defense at our side; we don't have to hold a rifle, but we can keep the heart of the motherland, using our ordinary persistence to forge a solid wall of national security.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7616975019947639350/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.