Shin Bet foils several Iranian plots to assassinate Israelis in recent months

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Monday that it has uncovered and prevented several plots aimed at assassinating Israelis, including high-level officials, in recent weeks.

Details of several of the assassination attempts have not been released due to ongoing investigations. 

Surprisingly, Shin Bet officials said most of the plots involved the recruitment of Israeli citizens to assist, as revealed in the recent case of Moti Maman, the Israeli businessman recruited by Iranians while in Turkey. Maman was recently indicted for several security offenses and his lawyer said he has been cooperating completely with the investigations. 

Shin Bet also reported that the Iranian regime has been investing significant resources in attempts to “remotely recruit” Israeli citizens through online methods. Iranian operatives have targeted Israelis on various social media platforms, including those related to finance, cryptocurrencies, and job hunting.

According to officials, the Israeli accomplices were often paid to perform various tasks, including hiding money or cell phones in different locations across Israel, distributing flyers and graffiti, and even engaging in vandalism, such as burning vehicles or causing harm to individuals.

These tasks often start with smaller “innocent” tasks, sometimes by Iranians pretending to be expatriates who need simple “jobs” done for them while they are away. Over time, the nature of the jobs becomes more dangerous and harmful to the security of Israel and its citizens. 

Shin Bet has announced several plots in recent months where Iranian agents attempted to recruit or deceive Israelis into conducting intelligence missions for Iran. In one case, the agency uncovered a scheme where Israelis were recruited to gather information on prominent Israeli figures.

A couple of weeks ago, Shin Bet announced that it had thwarted a plot to assassinate a former security official in Israel. At that time, Israeli media reported that the intended target was a former IDF chief of staff, with some claiming it was Aviv Kochavi. 

The security agency also revealed that it had prevented a similar attack against former IDF Chief and Defense Minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon the year before. Following the revelation by Shin Bet, Ya’alon quipped, “It’s not the first time someone has tried to kill me.” 

For that operation, the cell involved in carrying out the attack had placed explosives with a camera for remote viewing to be sure they got the intended target. 

Several suspects were arrested after the bomb exploded on Sept. 15, 2023, with no injuries reported. The suspects were all Israeli citizens who were found to be in possession of incendiary and camouflage material at the time of their arrest. All of those arrested were aware that they were working for a foreign agency, likely Hezbollah or Iran.

Shin Bet instructed the Israeli public to be vigilant and take extra caution “in any case where suspicion arises, in accordance with detailed procedures, and especially when the sums involved are large and are not adequate to the nature of the requested tasks, or alternatively, if the execution of unusual tasks is requested.” 

“Whenever such a doubt or suspicion arises, it must be reported immediately to the security services.”