Mossad Says It Foiled Iranian Plot to Smuggle an Operational Cell Into Israel to Target Senior Officials

The Prime Minister’s Office said this evening (Thursday), in a statement on behalf of the Mossad, that in cooperation with the Shin Bet and intelligence and security services around the world, an attempt by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry to infiltrate an operational cell into Israel was foiled. The cell had been directed to target senior Israeli officials.

According to the statement, Iran acted through criminal "proxy" networks that recruited foreign operatives, individuals who are in Israel or have the ability to enter Israel, for the purpose of gathering intelligence on the terror target and later carrying out the attack.
International investigations exposed the network and the Iranian operatives behind it.

The Mossad said that a French resident, Th'rot Ozkur, known as "Philip," was responsible for recruiting the operational cell, which was made up of people of foreign nationalities. Ozkur traveled to Iran several times to meet with his handlers and received payment from them for advancing the missions.

Ozkur was recruited by two criminal proxy operatives living in Iran: Baba Macho-Zadeh Haji Japan, known as "Babak," and Machmat Nadim Ye'it, "Nadim." The two operate under the protection of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and are connected to Naji Sharifi Zindashti, a drug baron used to advance terror under Iranian direction.

The handlers in Iran’s Intelligence Ministry were identified as Asadallah Behzad Ukhsari, Vahid Matzoumi, Mohammad-Hossein D'uki, and Hamid Qasemi. Ukhsari served as a central figure in the ministry’s terror efforts and was killed during Operation "Rising Lion."

It was further stated that in recent years, many Iranian attempts to recruit and activate operatives in Israel and abroad for terror missions have been foiled.