Turkiye has arrested 33 people suspected of spying and planning espionage activities on behalf of Israel’s foreign intelligence service Mossad.
According to reports, the arrests followed an investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor Office’s Terrorism and Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau, focusing on international espionage.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who shared a video of Operation Mole on the X platform, said 57 addresses were raided simultaneously in eight provinces. Search operations for 13 other suspects were underway, reports say.
Yerlikaya reportedly said authorities had acted after they had deduced that Israeli intelligence was seeking to carry out “tactical tasks such as reconnaissance, pursuit, assault, and kidnapping against foreign nationals residing in our country”.
BREAKING:
⚡ 🇹🇷🇮🇱 Turkey cracks down on Mossad
Turkey has detained 33 individuals suspected of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service pic.twitter.com/9ggfH4bMtG
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) January 2, 2024
During the raids, a large amount of euros, dollars and “cash from different countries” were seized, along with an unlicensed gun, as well as several cartridges and digital material.
The video posted by Yerlikaya shows police bursting into flats, handcuffing suspects, searching the premises and bundling suspects into police vehicles.
“Our fight against organized crime organizations and spies that disturb the peace…” will continue “with determination”, the interior minister said.
Israel has reportedly not responded to the allegations.
Israeli Threats to Eliminate Hamas Leaders
Last month, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Tel Aviv will work to eliminate Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Meshaal, the leaders of the Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said the assassination of the Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri is “a real threat to peace” and “a serious alarm” for the countries in the region.https://t.co/p3LLh2WMbH pic.twitter.com/mHEyocG3Qg
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 3, 2024
In recordings aired by the Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, the Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar also reportedly said Israel was determined to kill Hamas leaders “in every location” in the world, even if it takes many years.
“In every location, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar, everyone,” he reportedly said. “It will take a few years, but we will be there in order to do it.”
In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had reportedly warned Tel Aviv that “If they dare to take such a step against Türkiye and Turkish people, they will be doomed to pay a price which they cannot recover from.”
Hamas Deputy Assassinated
On Tuesday, Saleh Al-Arouri, the Deputy Head of Hamas, and founder of Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank, was assassinated along with other top Qassam leaders in Beirut, by several missiles fired by an Israeli drone.
What are the possible scenarios following Israel’s assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Lebanon?https://t.co/Fgiga8KvPn pic.twitter.com/CtBaF04ctS
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 3, 2024
In a statement, Hamas confirmed the assassination of al-Arouri.
“This cowardly assassination attacks, which the Zionist occupation is carrying out against our leadership and the symbols of our Palestinian people, inside and outside Palestine, will not succeed in breaking our will and the steadfastness of our people,” a top member of Hamas’ political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq, said.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
One article by Uri Avnery I remember, though I can remember where on my hard drive it is, had him mentioning that the people the Mossad assassinated in “retaliation” for the Black September attack, turned out not to have had anything to do with it after all. It’s as if the Israeli agents of state don’t know how to shoot straight.
We can bet ” the usual suspects ” enabled this attack. they are always there when terrorism happens. Coincidence?