Israel's Mossad intelligence agency said it has foiled an Iranian plot to send operatives into Israel to harm senior Israeli officials, as reported by Times of Israel.
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The effort, led by Iran's Intelligence Ministry, involved turning to criminal organisations who would recruit people inside Israel or who could enter the country for intelligence gathering and carrying out attacks, the Mossad said in a statement.
Mossad identified two of them as criminals living in Iran under the protection of the Intelligence Ministry – Baba Mahuzadeh Haji Jafan, also known as 'Babak,' and Mehmet Nadim Ya'it, also known as 'Nadim'. They recruited Turut Ozkor, a criminal living in France who went by the nickname 'Philip.'
The handlers of Babak and Nadim in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry were named as Asadollah Behzad Oskhari, Vahid Matzoumi, Mohammad-Hossein Zoghi and Hamid Qasemi.
Oskhari was killed in Israel's 12-day bombing campaign against Iran in 2025 and was a key figure in plots to attack Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide, the Mossad said.
Philip was tasked with recruiting a cell of foreign nationals who would enter Israel, the Mossad said. He travelled to Iran on several occasions to meet handlers and be paid. Philip was expelled by France, while Babak and Nadim remain in Iran.
"Despite the attempt to avoid an Iranian fingerprint, the proxy method repeatedly demonstrates the carelessness of the operatives on the ground, leading to the exposure of their handlers in Iran," the Mossad said.
The Mossad worked with the Shin Bet and foreign intelligence agencies to uncover the network. Numerous Iranian attempts to direct terror attacks inside Israel in the past two years have been foiled, according to the Mossad.
