Following Turkey's announcement of the arrest of members of a spy cell in Istanbul working for Iran with the aim of assassinating Israeli-Turkish businessman Yair Giler, "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" reveal more details that remain unclear in the narrative published by the pro-government newspaper Sabah on February 11.
After the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, monitored the nine-member espionage cell led by two Iranian agents step by step for six months, it became clear that this cell intended to assassinate Yair Giler, a dual Israeli and Turkish citizen. "The intelligence agency provided information to Mossad out of courtesy," sources confirmed to "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath."
Sources confirmed that after this stage, namely the disclosure of the assassination plan, initial meetings were held between specialized units of the Israeli and Turkish intelligence agencies, followed by an important meeting in Ankara between Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and Mossad chief David Barnea. It became evident that the Iranian espionage cell was conducting intelligence reconnaissance to learn about the daily routine of Yair Giler, who had Jewish roots and was chosen as a target by the cell.
The intelligence agency, which had been monitoring the reconnaissance team for approximately six months, informed the Turkish public prosecutor's office and police when it learned that the team was working to secure weapons for the assassination. Consequently, the police and anti-terrorism forces began their role in detaining the cell. As Iranian agents were arrested one by one, it became apparent that the 75-year-old Yair Giler had been placed in a safe house in Istanbul under the supervision of intelligence agencies.
The Sabah newspaper reported that despite Mossad's offer to the Jewish-Turkish citizen, "Let us take you to Tel Aviv, it's safer for you now," Giler replied, "I love Istanbul, I love Turkey," and rejected the offer, stating, "I want to stay here."
### Why Iran Chose Yair Giler?
According to our sources, the main reason for selecting Yair Giler as a target over other businessmen was his significant investments in military industries. Giler owns one of the companies producing parts for some crucial military products, including those contributing to the manufacture of the F-35 fighter jet, as well as projects utilizing robotics technology in military industries.
The Iranian spy network monitored Yair Giler’s company located in the Çatalca area and his residence in the Beşiktaş district closely for several months. The Turkish intelligence agency established that the head of the spy cell in Turkey had multiple records of entering and leaving Turkey and also detected several signals during various periods sent from his constantly changing mobile phone to evade tracking, near Giler's CNC company in the Çatalca area. After these assessment phases, the Turkish intelligence agency launched an operation to apprehend members of the espionage cell, and recent days saw the arrest of nine suspects by Istanbul police teams.
It is noted that the Iranian espionage cell was led by Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security agent Yasin Tahir Imam Kendi (53 years old), who oversaw the assassination operation from Iran, while Iranian Saleh Mushtagh Bigooz (44 years old) led the cell in Turkey. Six suspects, including Bigooz, were arrested and imprisoned on charges of establishing and managing an organization to commit crimes and belonging to an organization established to commit crimes and threats.
### Herzog Thanks Erdoğan... Tehran's Reaction
Sources from "Al Arabiya" and "Al Hadath" confirmed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following the Giler operation when he called Erdoğan, who contracted COVID-19 last week, to convey his wishes for a speedy recovery. Our sources also noted that the revelation of the Iranian intelligence network had an impact or role in Tehran halting natural gas supplies to Turkey for 10 days at the end of last month and the beginning of this month.
It was understood by both intelligence agencies (Turkish and Israeli) that the Iranian cell planned to kill Giler in retaliation for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the architect of the Iranian nuclear program, who was assassinated on November 27, 2020, in Iran using techniques that also involved artificial intelligence. A senior Turkish official told "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net" in a commentary on the operation that Turkey "will not allow anyone to use Turkish territory to carry out any operation," adding, "We will always monitor and apprehend those who have such plans and those who assist them, regardless of the country to which they belong."
### Turkish-Israeli Relations Have Been Tense Since Mavi Marmara Incident
Relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained since 2010 when Israeli armed forces attacked the Turkish civilian aid ship (Mavi Marmara) in international waters. Ten people died, nine of whom were Turkish and one was American. However, this event (the Giler operation) brought the intelligence heads of both countries together and expedited the normalization of diplomatic relations.
In October 2021, Turkish intelligence MIT dismantled a 15-member espionage network that was reportedly working for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. It was revealed that this network also engaged in espionage activities against foreign students of Turkish nationality or those studying in technical departments at elite universities in Turkey, who would work in military industries in the future.
It was noted that A.B., who worked for Mossad within this network for money, was coordinating with A.Z., holding an Israeli passport numbered 307 ..., thus Turkish intelligence revealed that the leader of the espionage cell was the Israeli A.Z. It was also noted that some members of the network were declared missing tourists to avoid tracing their whereabouts.
