Since 2021, the Turkish Intelligence Service has carried out 4 specific operations against people carrying out international espionage activities for the Mossad (Turkish press)
Ankara -
In a controversial development, the Turkish authorities announced last Friday the arrest of 7 people in the states of Istanbul and Izmir, on charges related to suspicions of their involvement in selling information to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, following intelligence reports indicating that he used private investigators to track down his targets inside Turkish territory. Using tactics such as personal data collection, reconnaissance, visual and photographic documentation, as well as surveillance and installation of tracking devices.
This incident opened the door to new questions about the developments in the battle between Turkish and Israeli intelligence, as the Turkish authorities had previously announced earlier this year that they had arrested 34 people on suspicion of carrying out international espionage activities for the Mossad, in a security operation in 8 different states, and after interrogating them, 15 were arrested. Of them, 8 were deported, while 11 were released on conditions.
These developments come in the wake of Israeli threats to carry out operations against Hamas leaders in several countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, which added momentum to what can be described as “intelligence diplomacy,” which indicates a new escalation in intelligence activity between the two countries, and the transition of Turkish intelligence from a stage Monitoring until the stage of engaging in practical actions.
Cell detection
The Mossad considered the 1990s to represent the golden period in the relationship between it and Turkish intelligence, but its doubts about Turkey and its intelligence rose after 2010, according to security experts, as the Turkish intelligence service has carried out 4 specific operations since 2021 against people carrying out international espionage activities for the intelligence service. Israeli.
Relations between the two sides witnessed noticeable tension in October 2021, following Turkey’s announcement of the arrest of 29 individuals, including Israeli citizens, as part of an operation it called “Mutiny”, after careful monitoring that lasted for a year by Turkish intelligence, which resulted in the discovery of a spy network that was She works for the Mossad, with the aim of collecting information about Syrian and Palestinian students in Turkish universities.
This revelation was followed by the “New Blaze” operation, during which 68 agents were arrested in December 2022, and then the “Nikbet” operation, which targeted 17 agents in April 2023, among whom was the Turkish Selcuk Kuçukaya, who established an intelligence network of Turks and foreigners inside Turkey. It transmitted secret information in exchange for money using intelligence methods on behalf of the Mossad.
In 2024, Turkish intelligence began launching Operation “City of the Dead,” which targeted 46 people for the same reasons, arresting 34 of them, while 12 others remained at large, and they most likely left the country.
However, the ongoing intelligence battle between the two parties did not prevent the Turkish side from performing its role in protecting Israeli nationals. In February 2022, Turkish intelligence thwarted an assassination attempt targeting a Jewish businessman who holds dual Turkish and Israeli citizenship and resides in Istanbul.
The Cypriot authorities also arrested two Iranians for questioning about an alleged plan to launch attacks on Israeli citizens residing in Cyprus, and Turkish media reports indicated that Turkish intelligence played an important role in preventing the implementation of this attack.
In a similar incident, Turkish intelligence played a fundamental role in thwarting the Israeli Mossad’s attempt to kidnap a Palestinian software engineer responsible for hacking and disabling Iron Dome, from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in October 2022.
Mossad methods
The Mossad focuses in particular on Palestinians residing in Turkey, especially students studying in engineering disciplines, in addition to individuals who may have links to the Hamas movement, in the context of their attempts to collect valuable intelligence information and enhance their intelligence activities.
According to Turkish media reports based on the results of investigations with detainees, the Mossad uses various methods to plant its spies in Turkey, and fake job advertisements online and social media platforms with few or no details and advertisements for financial scholarships for students represent the most widely used and effective methods.
Israeli officers' communication with recruits is limited to written conversations, through messaging applications such as "Telegram" and "WhatsApp," while payments and money are delivered to them through intermediaries by hand delivery.
Then the tasks move to higher tactical levels, where agents are required to carry out complex tasks, including personal meetings, information gathering, research, photographing and videotaping targets, in addition to managing WhatsApp groups and websites to spread misleading information and carry out financial transfers, and work under the cover of consulting companies. .
In his comment to Al Jazeera Net, a source in the Hamas movement said, “The methods followed by the Mossad to recruit its agents have become exposed and known to everyone, and have proven to fail many times,” adding that “its threats and raising the level of its movements abroad since the beginning of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood are clear evidence of His failure inside the Gaza Strip.”
The source also praised the effective and decisive role played by Turkey with all its institutions to deal with such movements, and praised the position of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when he warned Israel that it would pay a heavy price if it dared to assassinate members of the Hamas movement in Turkey.
Stressed relationships
In light of the complex geopolitical changes, the importance of following developments in the intelligence activities of the Israeli Mossad emerges, especially on Turkish territory, which constitutes a strategic axis in regional equations.
Security expert Abdullah Dagh points out in his interview with Al Jazeera Net, “Israel, which is facing multiple internal and external crises and increasing popular pressure, is demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of prisoners, while it seeks to achieve intelligence and security victories to improve its internal image.”
Dag believes that Israel views Turkey's understanding of resistance issues and its failure to classify Hamas as a terrorist organization as fertile ground for Mossad operations, especially those related to the assassination of leaders, considering that these operations aim not only to weaken the capabilities of the resistance, but also to send complex political and security messages to Active countries in the region.
Regarding the impact of these operations on Turkey, Dag believes that the danger posed by Mossad activity on Turkish territory is not limited to the security level only, but also extends to the economic and tourism aspects, as making Turkey a scene for assassination and espionage operations harms its international image as a safe and stable country, which may lead to... To the decline in investments and tourism, which reflects negatively on the Turkish economy, he also pointed out that these activities may result in internal tensions, given the political and social impacts resulting from them.
Dag noted that "despite the noticeable improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries recently, the continuation of Israeli operations on Turkish territory may lead to new tensions, not only in diplomatic relations, but also at the level of economic and security cooperation between the two countries, which may have long-term repercussions." On the stability of the region as a whole," he stressed the importance of Turkey's vigilance and readiness to confront these security and diplomatic challenges, stressing the need to strengthen its intelligence and security capabilities to protect its sovereignty and national security.
Source: Al Jazeera