A woman visiting a market received a call from a senior Israeli official telling her not to return to her hotel because Iranian killers were waiting for her and her husband there, Channel 13 reported on Monday. Instead, a convoy of about 10 Israeli security officers transported the couple to the airport, leaving their belongings at the hotel and then in Israel, where they were investigated for details of the plot against them, the network said. No further details were released about the couple, including whether they were targeted individually for a specific reason or whether they were threatened only because they were Israelis. It was also not clear how many people they contacted and told to leave immediately. According to Channel 13, the government waited until Monday to warn the rest of the public about the imminent threat against Israelis in Turkey because of local authorities there, who wanted time to deal with the situation. Israel on Monday issued the harshest travel warning to Istanbul over Iran’s attempts to attack Israeli travelers. Get the Times of Israel Daily E-mail and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms Tensions between Israel and Iran have risen in recent weeks, following the killing of an Iranian official in Tehran last month, airstrikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria, threatening rhetoric from Iranian leaders and growing violations by Iranian . Two weeks ago, Channel 12 reported that Israeli security officials had called and immediately warned more than 100 Israeli citizens in Turkey that they were being targeted by Iran, asking them to return home. Israel has no plans to send rescue flights for Israelis to Turkey at the moment, and many in the country have no plans to leave anyway, Channel 13 reported. Despite the warnings, the Walla news website reported that 21 flights with 3,750 passengers departed from Israel for Turkey on Monday. Some can be transported via Turkey. Israeli authorities have said it is still safe for Israelis to stay in Istanbul as long as they stay at the airport. For those canceling flights, Tourism Minister Yoel Rozvozov asked the airlines to return the money to the Israelis who heeded the warning. Passers-by watch a Costa Venezia cruise ship at Galataport in Istanbul on June 6, 2022. (Yasin AKGUL / AFP) Separately, the news website Ynet reported on Monday that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had recently arrested Iranian agents plotting to carry out shootings and kidnappings of Israeli tourists in Turkey. The report did not provide a source, but an Israeli security official told Reuters that Turkey had arrested several people suspected of being agents of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ynet said there could be additional Iranian agents free and that the pursuit of the authorities against them was not over. Turkish officials and the Iranian embassy in Ankara did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel’s National Security Council on Monday raised the warning for Istanbul to level 4, the highest level, which means that Israelis are explicitly asked not to visit an area and to leave if they are already there. Countries with the Level 4 “high threat” warning include Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iran. The authority said it had raised the alert level amid a “continuing threat and escalating Iranian intentions to harm Israelis in Turkey, with an emphasis on Istanbul”. Other parts of Turkey remained at level 3 warning, with recommendations to avoid visiting the country for non-essential reasons. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called on Israelis in Turkey to return immediately and for citizens to cancel travel plans in the country. Lapid’s instruction at the start of a meeting of Yesh Atid’s party faction came after reports Sunday that Israeli and Turkish security services thwarted an Iranian conspiracy to kidnap Israeli tourists to Turkey last month. Israeli security officials reportedly briefed their Turkish counterparts on the plan and called for action to prevent the attack. Jewish media outlets, citing anonymous senior Israeli sources, did not specify the nationality of the alleged agents for Iran, how many were involved or whether arrests had been made. Channel 12 said Monday night that “there are still Iranian nuclei in the region” and “ongoing co-operation between Mossad and Turkey [security agencies]impressive collaboration, to thwart this series of [potential] The unnamed report also said there was an unspecified number of arrests. The National Security Council revised its travel warning for Turkey last month to level 3, saying there was a specific threat to Israelis from “Iranian terrorists” there and in nearby countries. This warning followed the assassination of a senior officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, for which Iran has blamed Israel. The mourners attend the funeral of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, shown in the poster, who was killed Sunday in Tehran, Iran, May 24, 2022. (Vahid Salemi / AP) Khodaei was shot five times in his car by two unidentified gunmen on motorcycles in central Tehran on May 22. He was reportedly involved in killings and kidnappings outside Iran, including attempts to target Israelis. While Israeli diplomatic missions are on alert, waiting for Iran to seek revenge for the assassination, Kan said the attempted Iranian action in Turkey took place before the officer was assassinated. Shortly before Lapid made his remarks on Monday, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that any “response” the Islamic Republic would make to Israel would take place inside Israel. “If we want to respond to Israel’s activities, our response will be in its place and not in a third country,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran on March 14, 2022 (AFP) Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi told the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim on Monday that Iran “will take any necessary retaliatory action in response to any external action by [the Israeli] regime.” Since Khodaei was killed, another Quds Force officer – overseeing the IRGC overseas operations – has died in undisclosed circumstances, as has a military engineer and a scientist allegedly involved in the development of missiles and drones. According to Channel 12, Israel believes the Iranians have an increased incentive to launch attacks on Israeli targets at the moment, with the IRGC seeking to restore deterrence both within its borders and abroad.
