An Israeli citizen has been arrested for allegedly accepting money from Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar announced today that Tehran is behind a plot to target senior Israeli officials, following the assassination of Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in late July.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other high-ranking officials have also been identified as potential Iranian targets uncovered by Israeli intelligence.
Iran reportedly planned to enlist an Israeli businessman with extensive ties to Turkey to orchestrate the assassination within Israel. The plot is said to have begun as early as April, when Turkish contacts approached the businessman to discuss the plan.
Andrei Farouk Aslan and Guneid Aslan were identified as intermediaries linking the alleged assassin to Iran via Turkey. They reportedly met with the unidentified Israeli citizen in Samandag in May to discuss the assassination plot.
The businessman allegedly requested one million dollars before agreeing to proceed. Israeli intelligence claims he later received 5,000 euros while undergoing training in Iran.
As part of his role for Iran, he was reportedly tasked with filming Israeli sites for surveillance and intelligence gathering, as well as threatening other Israelis who had been approached but were not complying with their missions.
Additionally, Iran is said to have instructed the businessman to attempt to recruit Russians and Americans capable of assassinating figures opposed to the regime.
Shin Bet has not disclosed how far the suspect advanced with his missions but emphasized that thwarting one plot does not eliminate the broader threats facing Israel. The businessman was indicted on Thursday.
Iran had vowed swift retaliation following the airstrike that killed Hamas’ political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 31.
