Iran was said to be asking the Israelis in its network to find an assassin who would be willing to murder the commander.
By World Israel News Staff
An Iranian plot to assassinate an Israeli Air Force commander has sent shockwaves throughout the military, with security officials providing the officer in question and his family a special security detail.
Assigning personal security guards to a senior officer “is not a standard procedure for everyone,” an anonymous Israeli official told Iran International, a news outlet affiliated with the anti-Islamic regime movement.
“Only those with a [credible] threat [against] them, such as the chief of staff, the Air Force chief” receive round-the-clock security, “but now they put security on [the officer] and his family as he was exposed.”
The plan was exposed after the Shin Bet busted an Iranian spy ring, which consisted of mostly Soviet-born Israelis who had been recruited on social media platform Telegram to pass intelligence to Tehran in exchange for payment.
Iran was said to be asking the Israelis in its network to find an assassin who would be willing to murder the commander.
A commander at the Nevatim Air Force base in Israel’s south, who has not been officially identified by name, was reportedly the target of the assassination plot.
Hebrew-language Channel 12 news claimed that the officer targeted by Iran is Brig. Gen. Yotam Sigler, the commander of Nevatim, but that has not been officially confirmed by the Shin Bet or military.
“The commander is a very wanted target because Nevatim is in itself so strong a target for Iran,” the Israeli official explained.
Nevatim is one of the largest military bases in Israel, where fighter jets, stealth aircraft for intelligence gathering, and the Prime Minister’s private jet, the Wing of Zion, are stationed.
“It’s not just fighters, it’s intelligence, it’s multi-disciplinary and a strategic base,” the source added.
Iran targeted Nevatim in both its April and October on the Jewish State, which saw Tehran launch hundreds of explosive drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles at Israel.
During the first attack in April, Nevatim only sustained minor damage. But following the October attack, satellite images revealed that serious damage had been inflicted upon runways at Nevatim, as well a hangar.
In a statement, the IDF said the Iranian attack had damaged “office buildings and other maintenance areas,” but stressed that no soldiers or aircraft were struck.