Israeli diplomats working abroad were told to remain on high alert.
By Tobias Siegal, World Israel News
Following the arrest of an Azari national suspected of planning to assassinate Israelis in Cyprus, Israel has warned all of its diplomatic missions around the world of a potential attack, Channel 12 reported Wednesday evening.
Israeli diplomats working abroad have been instructed to remain on high alert and to prepare for a possible attack in the near future.
Israel’s intelligence community firmly believes the arrested Azari is a professional hitman who was hired by Iran to carry out attacks against Israelis living in Cyprus.
“I can clarify on behalf of the security establishment, that this was an act of terror that was orchestrated by Iran against Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus,” read a statement issued by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett earlier this week.
The following day, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that the plot was orchestrated by Iran as an act of revenge for the killing of Iran’s chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in 2020. He noted that the incident was a “warning signal” for Israel but stressed that “the State of Israel knows how to protect its citizens.”
Still, he said, “what is important is that Israelis are cautious and listen carefully to warnings by security forces and the defense establishment.”
The incident in Cyprus is the latest example of the growing tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran.
Earlier this year, as COVID travel restrictions were easing up due to Israel’s rapid vaccination campaign, allowing Israelis to travel more freely, the country’s National Security Council issued a travel advisory to Israeli citizens abroad. The council warned Israelis of a potential Iranian attack, which would most likely target civilians. The warning followed several security incidents related to Iran, including January’s attack outside Israel’s Embassy in New Delhi, India, later attributed to a local Shi’ite terrorist cell backed by Iran’s IRGC Quds Force, and the attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that took place only a few weeks later.
Last week, while attending the World Peace Forum in Normandy, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, reportedly told Israel’s Maariv that “the war with Israel has already started.”
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Sharon Wrobel/The Algemeiner contributed to this report.