The Prime Minister's Office, on behalf of Mossad and Shin Bet, disclosed new details of a foiled Iranian plot to infiltrate a foreign operative cell into Israel. The plot involved a French national nicknamed 'Philippe,' recruited by two criminal proxies living in Iran under the protection of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. The handlers are linked to a drug lord and a MOIS officer killed in Operation Roaring Lion, and continue to operate from Iran.
The Prime Minister's Office, on behalf of Mossad and Shin Bet, has now identified the French recruit and Iranian criminal handlers at the center of a foiled plot to infiltrate an operative cell into Israel to assassinate senior officials. The recruit is named as 'Philippe' (Th'roots Uzqur), a French national who traveled to Iran multiple times to meet handlers and receive payments. The handlers were identified as Baba Mahv-Zadeh Hajji Jafan (Baba) and Mahmat Nadim Yayit (Nadim), criminal proxies living in Iran under the protection of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. This latest disclosure builds on the initial revelation of the plot at 17:32 Jerusalem, when the PMO first reported the foiled operation, followed by the identification of handler Asadallah Behzad Okhsari—killed in Operation Roaring Lion—and the Mossad's description of the 'proxy by proxy' method employed by Iran. The Zioneer reported at 17:43 Jerusalem summarizing those developments. The new details link the handlers to drug lord Naji Sharifi Zindashti, a known criminal used by Iran for terror operations, and to three other MOIS officers: Vahid Mestomi, Mohammad-Hossein Dhuki, and Hamid Ghassemi. As The Zioneer has reported, Iran's use of criminal proxies to insulate itself from direct blame is a recurring pattern, and the killing of Okhsari in Operation Roaring Lion was a significant blow to Iranian intelligence operations. The international cooperation that led to the foiling of the plot and the deportation of Philippe from France underscores ongoing efforts to counter Iranian terrorism. The handlers continue to operate from Iran, posing a continued threat, according to the statement. It remains unclear whether other members of the cell or additional targets have been identified.
6 developments
- DevelopingReport: French citizen recruited by Iran formed cell to infiltrate Israel; handler killed in 'Roaring Lion'
- StrongMossad says it foiled Iranian plot to infiltrate Israel, attack senior officials
- DevelopingAFP: Senior Mossad agent who helped eliminate 4 Hezbollah figures arrested at Beirut airport
- StrongReports: Mossad foiled Iranian assassination attempt against Yair Netanyahu in Miami
Source and signal
- Open-source intake