Israeli border guards deploy near the scene of an attempted stabbing attack at the Damascus Gate of the old city of Jerusalem on Sept. 15, 2024. (Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
Israel's police arrested an Israeli citizen recruited by Iranian intelligence to plot the assassinations of top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a joint statement by the police and Shin Bet said Thursday.
"An Israeli citizen was recruited by Iranian intelligence to promote assassinations of Israeli figures. He was smuggled twice into Iran and received payment for carrying out missions," the statement said.
It said that Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar as well as other top officials were among the targets.
The Israeli citizen, "a businessman who lived in Turkey for an extended period," maintained connections with Turkish and Iranian individuals, the police said.
Israeli media reported that the arrested man was a Jewish person from the city of Ashkelon.
The police said he was asked while in Iran to carry out security missions in Israel, including transferring "money or a gun" and threatening other Israelis recruited by Iran before later being asked to plot assassinations.
"This is a very serious case that exemplifies the enormous efforts of Iranian intelligence agents to recruit Israeli citizens to promote terrorist activities in Israel," a senior Shin Bet official was quoted as saying.
Israel's police arrested an Israeli citizen recruited by Iranian intelligence to plot the assassinations of top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a joint statement by the police and Shin Bet said Thursday.
"An Israeli citizen was recruited by Iranian intelligence to promote assassinations of Israeli figures. He was smuggled...