Israeli security forces have over the past week thwarted several attempts by Iranian agents to kidnap or kill Israeli citizens vacationing in Turkey. In fact, it has recently issued numerous travel warnings for citizens visiting Turkey, as Iran has vowed to avenge the assassination of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander.
The Jerusalem Post reported on Wednesday that in one instance, Israeli security forces evacuated Israeli citizens from their hotel in Istanbul hours ahead of an alleged Iranian plot to kidnap them. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, too, has confirmed the role of Israeli and Turkish forces in thwarting Iranian attempts.
“The operational efforts alongside Turkish security forces have borne fruit,” Bennett said on Monday. “In recent days, in a joint Israeli-Turkish effort, we thwarted a number of attacks and a number of terrorists were arrested on Turkish soil,” he added.
Bennett noted that “cooperation between Turkey and Israel is tight and is being carried out on all levels [and] the goal is to return the situation to normal as quickly as possible.”
Israel calls on its citizens not to fly to Istanbul or Turkey "at all" after a series of foiled Iranian terror attacks against Israeli vacationers. Adds that Iran has targeted Israelis in Turkey "in order to kidnap them or kill them...It's a real and immediate danger."
— Neri Zilber (@NeriZilber) June 13, 2022
A day earlier, Bennett warned Iran against trying to target civilians and claimed that Israel will “thwart attempted attacks before they are launched.” He declared, “We will continue to strike those who send the terrorists [...] Our new rule is: Whoever sends—pays.”
He also warned Israelis “to avoid flying to Turkey—especially Istanbul—at this time if it is not necessary.” Saying that the danger is great, the Israeli PM called on citizens “to show personal responsibility and safeguard their security.”
In addition, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced on Sunday that he will travel to Turkey on Thursday to meet with counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu days after they discussed joint cooperation in foiling Iranian plots.
Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz vows retaliation to Iranian attack in Turkey
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 19, 2022
Former Israel's army intelligence officer Raphael Jerusalmy discusses the tension between Iran and Israel as well as the cooperation between Israel and Turkey pic.twitter.com/GfsSHuJmCn
Last month, Israel’s National Security Council issued a travel warning saying that there is “increasing concern in the security establishment regarding Iranian efforts to attack Israeli targets around the world,” especially in Turkey. The statement read that Turkey “currently has a high level of risk for Israelis” and “the warning stems from a tangible threat to Israelis in Turkey.”
Israel’s warnings come as Iran has continued to call for revenge over the assassination of senior IRGC commander Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in Tehran. Khodaei was shot dead by two gunmen in May. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing.
Furthermore, just weeks after the incident, two officers working in the IRGC’s aerospace and ballistic missile programmes were killed under mysterious circumstances near Tehran. While Tehran has not mentioned who was responsible, Iranian media has blamed Israel for the officers’ deaths.
So what happened with this?
— Abdulla Hawez (@abdullahawez) June 18, 2022
Israel appears to be playing a psychological game: preemptively releasing the info and maybe also drive a wedge between Turkey and Iran?
Modern warfare is becoming more and more multisided. https://t.co/zm8a0egj2X
On Tuesday, IRGC Commander Gen. Hossein Salami said that Iran’s enemies are “worn and defeated,” a possible reference to the collapse of Israel’s fragile coalition on Monday. He also warned Israel that Iran’s “resistance”—Hezbollah and proxy militias in Syria—are ready to deal Israel a heavy blow.
Salami also claimed last month that the “Zionists” were responsible for Khodaei’s assassination and vowed to take revenge against the “terrorists” that carried out this “criminal act.” Moreover, Iranian state-affiliate news outlet Fars News published the names and details of five Israelis “involved in sabotage against Islamic countries and the assassination of [Iranian] activists.” The agency reported that the individuals, including their family and colleagues, are “under close surveillance day and night.”
Similarly, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that “elements linked to the global arrogance,” a term Iran often uses to refer to the United States and Israel, were behind the murder of Khodaei. The President warned that Iran will “avenge the blood of this great martyr [Khodaei]” and called on Iranian security forces to make plans to strike back.
Against this backdrop, Israel has updated travel notifications for several countries in the Middle East. Apart from Turkey, Israeli officials have also cautioned citizens against travelling to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, and Egypt.