JERUSALEM (AP) — Meir Dagan, a former Israeli general and longtime director of its spy agency, has died. He was 71.

Dagan directed the Mossad from 2002 to 2011. Under his leadership, the Mossad reportedly carried out covert attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists and unleashed cyber-attacks, including the Stuxnet virus that delayed the Iranian nuclear program.

After he stepped down, Dagan was also a fierce opponent of a military strike in Iran. He openly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to the recently implemented nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Born in 1945 in Ukraine to Holocaust survivors, Dagan reached the rank of general in the Israeli army and was known for innovations in battling terrorism.

Dagan is survived by his wife and three children.