Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90, Chaim Goldberg/Flash90, MAYA ALLERUZZO/POOL/VIA REUTERS, WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)
Iran plotted to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, the Shin Bet, in cooperation with the police, announced on Thursday.
Its efforts were particularly intense following the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which most of the world has attributed to Mossad. However, Israel has made sure not to take any credit for it.
In addition, the Islamic Republic, at a somewhat more vague level, explored assassinating former prime minister Naftali Bennett and other top Israeli defense officials.
The plot was to use an Israeli businessman, named as Moti Maman, 73 years old from Ashkelon, who spent extensive time living in Turkey and had financial dealings with both Turkish and Iranian persons to develop assassination plans in Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protestors, students from various Turkish universities, shout slogans outside the Istanbul University main campus, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 18, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MURAD SEZER)
To effectuate the plan, in April of this year, Turkish citizens Andrei Farouk Aslan and Guneid Aslan contacted Maman to conduct financial transactions, inviting him to the Turkish city of Samandag to meet with two representatives of a rich Iranian named Edi. In May, the meeting was held.
Israeli business in Iran
But when Maman was told that Edi could not leave Iran for Turkey, he agreed to have himself smuggled by car from Turkey into Iran, where he met Edi and a member of the Iranian security establishment named Haj.Maman initially had requested one million dollars before undertaking any activities.
The Israeli businessman later visited Iran a second time in August and received 5,000 Euros as part of the start of his undertaking financial, logistics, and weapons-related actions for accomplishing the plot, including potentially converting a Mossad agent into a double agent.
More at https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-820820
