An Israeli tourist narrowly avoided an Iranian kidnapping attempt in Turkey in recent days, according to Israeli media.
The kidnappers made physical contact with their intended victim, who resisted them, according to Channel 12. The full details of the incident cannot yet be publicized, the report on Tuesday stated.
The incident comes after Channel 13 reported on Monday that a group of Israeli tourists in Istanbul had been whisked to safety by Israeli security forces, narrowly avoiding an Iranian hit squad. The tourists received a telephone call from an Israeli security official warning them not to return to their hotel, where the Iranian cell was waiting for them, according to the report.
The intended victims were evacuated to the airport in a bulletproof vehicle, and put directly onto a flight back to Israel; their luggage remained behind.
Iranian cells remain at large in Turkey, and a special task force comprising the Israel Security Agency, the Mossad and Israel’s National Security Council is working around the clock in coordination with Turkey’s security forces to contain the threat, according to Channel 12‘s report. Turkish police have also deployed in unprecedented numbers to protect Israeli tourists.
Some 1,000 Israeli tourists in Turkey have received warning calls from Israeli security forces, according to the report.
“We will not hesitate to activate Israel’s power in any place in the world in order to safeguard our civilians,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that if Iran “wants to respond to Israel’s operations, we will provide our answer in the [right] place and not in a third country,” Channel 12 reported.
