Turkey: New Details Revealed on Iranian Cell that Targeted Israelis

 A photo published by the Turkish newspaper “Daily Sabah” of one of the members of the Iranian cell who were arrested in Istanbul.
A photo published by the Turkish newspaper “Daily Sabah” of one of the members of the Iranian cell who were arrested in Istanbul.
TT

Turkey: New Details Revealed on Iranian Cell that Targeted Israelis

 A photo published by the Turkish newspaper “Daily Sabah” of one of the members of the Iranian cell who were arrested in Istanbul.
A photo published by the Turkish newspaper “Daily Sabah” of one of the members of the Iranian cell who were arrested in Istanbul.

Turkish sources revealed new details about an Iranian cell that plotted to kidnap and assassinate Israeli citizens in Istanbul and whose members were arrested in June ahead of then-Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to the country.

A report by the Daily Sabah quoted Turkish sources on Sunday as affirming that the cell, comprised of eight Iranians, had been uncovered by the intelligence and Istanbul police.

It published new pictures and details about its plot, noting that its members were staying at the very same hotel as their intended victims in the Taksim Square area on the European side of Istanbul

Their scheme included kidnapping former Consul General of Israel in Istanbul, Yosef Levi-Sfari, and his wife to kill them later. They also planned to attack Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

The plot comes in retaliation to an Israeli operation in Tehran, in which Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodai was shot dead in May.

Israeli media said Khodai was the deputy head of Unit 840 of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, which is responsible for carrying out operations outside Iran.

The sources said security forces found three pistols and silencers with the detained Iranian cell members. The newspaper published a picture of the weapons and ammunition.

They pointed out that the cell members arrived in Istanbul on different dates and met secretly, noting that the Turkish intelligence relocated the Israelis without drawing the attention of the Iranian agents.

In late May, Israel warned its citizens against traveling to Turkey, citing Iranian threats of revenge for Khodai’s assassination. It renewed its warnings in the first two weeks of June.

Turkey is a popular tourist destination for Israelis and the two countries have been mending their ties after more than a decade of strained relations.

On July 23, Hurriyet newspaper reported that Turkish authorities detained five Iranian nationals suspected of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate Israeli citizens in Istanbul.

Lapid thanked Turkish authorities for their cooperation in allegedly foiling attacks against Israeli citizens in Turkey and warned that Israel would not “sit idly by” in the face of threats to its citizens from Iran.

He made the comments after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, as the two countries press ahead with efforts to repair ties that have been strained over Turkey’s strong support for the Palestinians.



Harris Reiterates Support for Gaza Ceasefire as Conflict Escalates

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
TT

Harris Reiterates Support for Gaza Ceasefire as Conflict Escalates

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Washington will continue to pressure Israel and other players in the Middle East to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza even as advocates say that the United States has not thus far used its leverage over its ally.

In an interview with CBS news show "60 Minutes," Harris said that diplomatic work with Israel is "an ongoing pursuit," according to a clip released on Sunday.

Harris sidestepped a question in the interview on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a "real close ally."

"I think with all due respect the better question is do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people and the answer to that question is yes," Harris said, Reuters reported.

Harris reiterated Washington's position to support Israel's right to self defense against Iran and Iran-backed militant groups like Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.

"Now the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles," Harris said.

"We're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region including Arab leaders," Harris said.

Washington's occasional condemnation of Israel over the war's civilian death toll has mostly been verbal with no substantive change in policy.

Advocates say Washington has not put pressure on its ally by refusing to put an arms embargo that anti-war protesters around the United States and the world have demanded for months. Protests were also held over the weekend.

President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire plan for Gaza on May 31 but a deal between Israel and Hamas has not been reached due to gaps in exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and Israel's demand that it maintain presence in a corridor on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has also been separately carrying out a military campaign in Lebanon which in recent days has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million.