Israeli Intelligence: Iran Targeted Senior Officials for Assassination Using Foreign Operatives

The Israeli intelligence agency has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate high-ranking Israeli officials by mobilizing foreign operatives.

According to CNN, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement on the 23rd (local time) on behalf of the intelligence agency Mossad, raising allegations that Iran recruited overseas operatives to target senior Israeli officials for assassination.

According to Mossad, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence utilized criminal organizations and other proxy forces to gather information on attack targets and recruit individuals to participate in actual attacks.

The Israeli daily The Times of Israel reported that Iranian authorities recruited Turut Ozkurt, a criminal living in France who used the name "Philip."

Philip was tasked with recruiting a network of foreign operatives to infiltrate Israel.

Investigations showed that he visited Iran multiple times to make contact with handlers behind the scenes and receive operational funds, and he has currently been deported from France, Mossad stated.

Mossad said in the statement, "We have thwarted dozens of Iranian attack plans in cooperation with international partners," adding, "Iran tried to conceal attempts at direct intervention, but operational failures exposed the Iranian handlers behind them."

Israel assesses that espionage operations linked to Iran have surged within its borders recently.

CNN reported that at least 60 Israelis have been indicted for engaging in espionage activities on behalf of Iran since 2023.

Israeli prosecutors claimed that they filmed major Israeli facilities and handed the footage over to Iran, and that those facilities actually became targets of Iranian missile attacks.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.