Israel's intelligence services, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister's Office, announced the disruption of a sophisticated assassination plot orchestrated by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. The operation sought to infiltrate an operational terror cell directly into Israeli territory to target and assassinate senior Israeli leadership. The joint counter-terrorism operation, executed by the Mossad and the Shin Bet alongside international intelligence partners, neutralized the threat before the operatives could carry out their assignments.
Investigative findings reveal that the intelligence apparatus in Tehran utilized a multi-layered approach described by security officials as a "proxy of proxies" method. Rather than deploying direct state operatives or traditional paramilitary arms, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence recruited international criminal networks to obscure its direct involvement. The cell itself was assembled on French soil, relying on foreign operatives recruited through organized crime channels across Europe.
Central to the infiltration network was a key recruiter identified by intelligence agencies as Thurut Ozkur, who operated under the alias "Philip". Ozkur was tasked with building the operational cell and managing local logistics for the planned entries into Israel. Intelligence reports indicate Ozkur was directly recruited and managed by two Iranian criminal proxies, known by the aliases "Babak" and "Nadem", both operating under the direct protection and funding of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.
The multi-agency intervention successfully dismantled the network through targeted international tracking and intelligence sharing. Security forces arranged the formal deportation of the primary recruit, effectively severing the cell's access to Israeli territory. Furthermore, Israeli security officials confirmed that Ozkur's primary Iranian handler was eliminated in a targeted operation during the recent war between Israel and Iran.
According to statements provided by intelligence representatives to Reuters, the disrupted plot fits a broader pattern of Iranian intelligence operations using layered criminal networks across Europe, Australia, and Azerbaijan. Israeli security services continue to monitor international criminal networks, emphasizing that public disclosures of these operations serve to disrupt ongoing proxy networks while demonstrating high level intelligence penetration against state sponsored terrorism.
