Israeli arrested over Iran plot to kill Netanyahu, Israeli security services say

 

An Israeli citizen has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a plot by Iran to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials, Israel's security services say.

Israeli police and domestic intelligence said the man was twice smuggled into Iran and received payment to carry out missions. In a joint statement, they said the suspect was a businessman who had lived in Turkey and had Turkish contacts who had helped get him into Iran. 

The announcement comes at a time of soaring tension between Iran and Israel, regional arch-enemies. The statement said the suspect, who was not identified, was arrested last month. It said his targets were the prime minister, the defence minister and the head of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet. It said that in April and May, the suspect twice travelled to Samandag in Turkey to meet a wealthy Iranian businessman called Eddie, and was helped by two Turkish citizens. The statement said Eddie had problems leaving Iran on both occasions, so the Israeli citizen was smuggled from Turkey into Iran instead. 

It said that the man met both Eddie and "an Iranian security operative" there. It said Eddie asked the Israeli to "carry out various security missions within Israel for the Iranian regime". According to the statement, these included transferring money or a gun, photographing crowded places in Israel and sending them to "Iranian elements", and threatening other Israeli citizens who had been recruited by Iran but had not completed their tasks. At the second rendezvous in Iran, Iranian intelligence agents are said to have asked the Israeli to carry out terrorist activities in Israel, including the assassination of Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Gallant, or Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. According to the investigation, it was also suggested assassinating former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other public figures, in revenge for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran in July 2024. Iran blamed Israel for that attack, which Israel neither confirmed nor denied involvement in. Investigators say the Israeli demanded an advance payment of $1m. 

The group are also alleged to have discussed killing opponents of the Iranian regime in Europe and the US, and recruiting a Mossad operative to become a "double agent". The Israeli is alleged to have been paid 5,000 euros ($5,600; £4,200) for the meetings. A senior Shin Bet official said the case "exemplifies the enormous efforts of Iranian intelligence agents to recruit Israeli citizens to promote terrorist activities in Israel". Iran and Israel have been major foes since the Islamic revolution brought the current regime to power in Iran in 1979. Iran does not recognise Israel's right to exist and is a major backer of Israeli adversaries including Hamas and Hezbollah. Hostilities between Iran and Israel have intensified with the war in Gaza, and both sides have carried out direct or indirect attacks on each other in recent months.