Turkish Media: Iranian Attack on Israeli Diplomat Thwarted ‘at the Last Moment’
Muslims attend Friday prayers outside the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 24, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Umit Bektas.
i24News – Turkish media reported that a recent intended target of an Iranian cell in Istanbul was Israeli diplomat Yosef Levi-Sfari, Israel’s former consul general to the city, who was rescued “in a movie-like operation.”
The report indicated that the Iranian assailants were staying at the same hotel as Lvi-Sfari and his partner, who were there on vacation, according to Ynet.
It added that seven of the eight members of the terror cell were brought before a judge to extend their pre-trial detention, and that they intended to target Israeli tourists after Lvi-Sfari.
Turkish authorities reportedly followed the cell’s movements since it entered the country and caught them “in the act, at the last moment” in possession of weapons.
Israel on Tuesday lowered the threat level for its nationals in Istanbul after previously categorizing Turkey as a high-risk country, citing the potential for Iranian plots after the Jewish state was accused of the death of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer.
A week before the travel warning was lowered, it was reported that Israel’s Mossad spy agency prevented three Iranian attacks against Israeli civilians in Istanbul, days after Turkish authorities were said to have arrested eight members of an Iranian cell.