Israeli security officials foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli figures, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday.
“According to the information accumulated in the defense establishment, scientists and mayors, as well as senior officials of the defense establishment and other Israeli officials are targets for attack by Iranian elements,” the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said.
Seven Arab suspects under arrest were recruited by Iranian agents to assassinate a senior Israeli scientist and the mayor of a large city in Israel. The suspects, some of whom are Israeli nationals, are all residents of Beit Safafa, an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem. The 1949 armistice line drawn at the end of Israel’s War of Independence, often referred to as the Green Line, runs through the neighborhood.
The main suspect is identified as a 23-year-old Israeli national who came into contact with an Iranian agent and asked to carry out various tasks. After beginning his activity, he recruited a team to help him carry out assignments. Tasks included spraying graffiti in various locations, setting fire to vehicles in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood, and gathering intelligence.
During the police investigation, it emerged that the suspects were also asked to carry out an attack against a senior Israeli scientist, and against the mayor of a large city. The identities of the targets were not publicly disclosed. The suspects also planned to blow up a police car and throw a grenade at a house.
According to the Shin Bet, the Iranian agent offered to pay the suspects 200,000 shekels ($53,000). Some of the suspects photographed the targeted scientist’s home, for which they were paid 500 shekels ($132).
During a search of the suspects’ homes, investigators found a fake police identification plate, around 50,000 shekels ($13,000) in cash, and a large number of credit cards.
On Monday, it was cleared for publication that seven Israelis, including two minors, were separately arrested for spying for Iran. The seven are suspected of collecting information and providing photos of four Israeli military bases to a Russian agent in exchange for cash and cryptocurrency.
