Israeli security forces have thwarted several murder plots by Iran and its proxies inside the Jewish state in recent weeks, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Monday, noting a “significant rise” in Tehran’s attempts to carry out attacks by recruiting Israeli citizens.
Some of the assassinations that were foiled were in advanced stages of planning and preparation, the agency said.
As part of its plans, Tehran has been attempting to recruit Israelis to harm current and former officials, according to the Shin Bet. The statement noted last month’s arrest of Moti Maman, who stands accused of having met with Iranians and assisting them in planning assassinations, including of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Islamic Republic has been increasingly trying to recruit Israeli citizens on the internet, the Shin Bet said, with Iranian intelligence operatives targeting Israelis on social media as well as through online channels related to cryptocurrency, finance and job posting boards.
Iranian operatives have offered Israelis large rewards for carrying out tasks that include “placing money or phones in various areas in Israel, distributing flyers, painting graffiti, and even setting fire to cars and physically harming people,” according to the Shin Bet statement.
The agency urged the public to “take extra caution in any case where suspicion arises, in accordance with the detailed procedures, especially when the sums involved are large and are not suited to the nature of the requested tasks, or alternatively, if the requested tasks are unusual.
“When such doubt or suspicion arises, one must immediately report this to the [Israeli] security services,” the Shin Bet statement concluded.
Two weeks ago, the agency announced that it had thwarted an attempt by the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah to assassinate a former Israeli security official. According to the Shin Bet, the thwarted attack involved a bomb and was intended to be carried out imminently.
The planned attack was foiled “in the final stages,” the agency said, adding that more details could not be published “at this stage.”
Arab media subsequently reported that the intended target was Lt. Gen (res.) Aviv Kochavi, who was IDF chief of staff between 2019 and 2023. Hezbollah operatives surveilled the retired military leader at a “sports facility” he frequented in Tel Aviv, according to the reports.
Also last month, the Israel Police revealed that Hezbollah tried to murder former Israeli defense minister and Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya’alon in a Sept. 15, 2023, attack in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park.
The terrorist group “had installed a camera on the body of the explosive charge in such a way that it was possible to observe movements on the park’s trails remotely,” but failed to hurt Ya’alon, according to the police.
Several suspects, all Israeli citizens, were arrested shortly after the bomb exploded with camouflage materials and weapons in their possession.
