Israel Thanks Turkey for Preventing Attack

Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon announced today that Turkish security forces prevented a Hezbollah attack on an undisclosed Israeli target in Turkey, adding that he thanked Ankara for the successful operation.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting Israeli defense sources, the attacks had been masterminded by the Hezbollah that planted operatives in Istanbul to revenge the killing of a senior Hezbollah operative back in 2008.

The Israeli and Turkish press reported that the planned attack in Turkey was exposed over a month ago, with Turkish media publishing a warning issued by the local police’s command to its officers to take steps to prevent a Hezbollah attack on American and Israeli targets. The same reports also pointed to a Hezbollah network of Iranian agents posing as tourists in Istanbul, with the cooperation of Iranian security agencies.