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ANKARA: The Turkish National Intelligence Organization recently carried out a targeted operation against a cell of 56 Mossad operatives believed to be operating within Turkiye.
Seven suspects, including Turkish nationals, were arrested as a result.
They reportedly confessed to their involvement.
The timing of the operation is notable, especially amid bilateral moves to improve relations between Turkiye and Israel.
Turkiye also has a new intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, who previously served as the chief presidential spokesperson for years.
The Mossad operatives were being overseen by nine agents based in Israel, according to authorities.
The “ghost” cell stands accused of engaging in various espionage activities, such as spying on non-Turkish nationals on behalf of the Turkish government.
Their methods reportedly included using online routing techniques, hacking into secured networks, and tracking the movements of targeted individuals.
The majority of their targets were Palestinians and people of Arab descent residing in Turkiye.
As part of an operation supervised by an Israeli of Arab origin — Soliman Agbaria — the operatives also physically followed certain targets spotted by Mossad to photograph one-on-one meetings.
They also used fake Arabic websites to draw targets’ interest by pushing them to click on the articles. Spyware was then planted on their phones.
The Turkish intelligence agency revealed that Mossad sent its operatives of Arab origin based in Istanbul to Lebanon and Syria to gather some critical intelligence and spot locations to be then hit by armed drones.
Turkish operations revealed that Mossad agents in Turkiye and abroad conducted their communication through single-use mobile phone lines owned by fake persons based in Europe, England, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel, has commented on the development, noting that the revelation followed previous instances of Mossad-linked operatives being uncovered in Turkiye.
In late May, during an already politically charged period in Turkiye due to ongoing elections, Turkish authorities exposed another Mossad spy ring.
In that Istanbul-based operation, 11 suspects were arrested for allegedly surveilling a company and individuals with commercial ties to Iran.
All of the detained individuals were foreign nationals believed to be working for the Israeli intelligence agency, and they were found to be trained in Europe by Mossad executives.
In December 2022, Turkiye exposed another group of seven operatives tasked with spying on Palestinians for Mossad to launch online defamation campaigns and threats against Palestinians.
Lindenstrauss said that Israel “will likely refrain from issuing an official statement either confirming or denying these allegations, as it has done in previous cases.”
She said that the increasing presence of Palestinians in Turkiye — both for residence and educational purposes — created a favorable environment for both Israel and its adversaries to recruit operatives and conduct spying operations targeting individuals of various nationalities.
This, she believes, is the primary reason behind the surge in revelations of this nature.
Relations between Turkiye and Israel have experienced periods of tension in recent years. However, last year marked a significant development as Israel appointed an ambassador to Turkiye for the first time in four years.
Irit Lillian currently serves as the ambassador, representing Israeli efforts to mend strained ties between the two countries.
In return, Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was appointed as Turkiye’s ambassador to Israel.
Turkiye’s new Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who previously headed the MIT for years, is known as being one of the transforming forces of Turkish intelligence, putting greater emphasis on preemptive intelligence and operations.
He was also the architect behind political rapprochement with Israel through secret diplomacy.
This latest operation is not believed to have harmed the rapprochement process between the two countries.
Lindenstrauss added: “It is not a new development and hence should not have a major effect, and yet the timing of the very detailed public revelation seems odd, if indeed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting is set to take place this month.”
Netanyahu and Erdogan are scheduled to hold talks in Ankara aimed at addressing a range of issues, including the potential export of natural gas from a field off Gaza to Europe via Turkiye.
Netanyahu, along with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, sent congratulations to Erdogan for his victory in the presidential elections in May, while underscoring the importance of further developing bilateral ties between Israel and Turkiye.
According to Dr. Nimrod Goren, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, recent arrests made by Turkiye are unlikely to leave a lasting impact on bilateral ties.
He told Arab News: “If those that Turkiye arrested are not Israelis, and if it is not a case of Israel spying on Turkiye, then such instances have already happened recently.”
Goren said that reports emerged in late 2022 and May 2023 about Turkiye uncovering alleged Israeli spy networks targeting Iranian and Palestinian interests. These instances had coincided with a warming in Israel-Turkiye relations.
He also highlighted Turkiye’s evident interest in sustaining cooperation with Israel, even with Netanyahu serving as prime minister.
Commenting on reports of a potential meeting between Netanyahu and Erdogan later this month, Goren said the Israeli-Palestinian escalation posed a more substantial threat to Israel-Turkiye relations than the arrests of spies.
DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Assad and Jordan’s top diplomat Ayman Safadi met Monday in Damascus and discussed war refugees and a crackdown on cross-border drug smuggling, Amman’s foreign ministry said.
Safadi’s visit comes at a time of increasing regional engagement with the Assad regime, peaking with Damascus’s return to the Arab League after years of isolation since Syria’s war began in 2011.
The meeting “focused on the issue of refugee returns and the necessary measures to facilitate the voluntary return” of Syrian refugees from Jordan, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Assad and Safadi also discussed “humanitarian, security and political” steps toward a “comprehensive solution” to Syria’s crisis, it added.
Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 over Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests which spiralled into a conflict that has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.
In May, the Arab League readmitted Damascus, despite no political settlement to the conflict in sight.
Arab states hope to find a solution for the millions of Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries, including 1.3 million in Jordan.
The Jordanian statement said Safadi discussed with Assad “the dangers posed by drug smuggling across the Syrian border into the kingdom, and the need for cooperation to confront it.”
During his visit, Jordan’s foreign minister also met with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad.
The two discussed a “joint committee to combat drug smuggling” that would meet in Amman “as soon as possible,” the Jordanian foreign ministry said.
Jordanian security forces have tightened border controls in recent years and occasionally announce thwarted drugs and weapons smuggling attempts from Syria.
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled Monday that his country is not ready to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO, saying Stockholm had to work harder on the “homework” it needs to complete.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Erdogan also renewed his condemnation of a Qur’an-burning protest that took place in Sweden last week, describing the action as a hate crime against Muslims.
“We have made it clear that the determined fight against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia are our red line,” Erdogan said. “Everyone must accept that Turkiye’s friendship cannot be won by supporting terrorism or by making space for terrorists.”
Turkiye has delayed giving its final approval to Sweden’s membership in the military alliance, accusing the country of being too lenient toward anti-Islamic demonstrations and groups that Ankara regards as security threats. These include militant Kurdish groups that have waged a deadly, decades-long insurgency in Turkiye.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has waged a 38-year insurgency against Turkiye that has left tens of thousands dead. It is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
NATO wants to bring Sweden into the fold by the time NATO leaders meet in Lithuania on July 11-12 but Erdogan said Stockholm still had obligations to fulfill. NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkiye and Hungary are the only countries that have not yet ratified Sweden’s bid.
“Instead of wasting time with distraction tactics, we believe that keeping to the promises will be a more rational, more beneficial method,” Erdogan said. “We advise them to scrutinize themselves and do their homework better.”
He was referring to a memorandum that Sweden and Finland signed with Turkiye last year under which they agreed to address Ankara’s concerns. Fighting Islamophobia was not included in the memorandum.
Last week, Swedish police allowed a protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm citing freedom of speech after a court overturned a ban on a similar Qur’an-burning.
“The vile attack on our holy book, the Holy Qur’an, in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, enraged us all,” Erdogan said. “This perverted disregard for the feelings of 2 billion Muslims cannot be compatible with the most basic human values, let alone freedom of thought.”
Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO’s security umbrella, fearing they might be targeted by Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Finland joined the alliance earlier this year after Turkiye’s parliament ratified the Nordic country’s bid.
Sweden changed its anti-terror legislation since applying for NATO membership, but Turkiye argues supporters of militant groups can freely organize demonstrations, recruit and procure financial resources in the country.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last week called a meeting of senior officials from Turkiye, Sweden and Finland for July 6 to try to overcome Turkish objections to Sweden joining the military alliance.
GAZA CITY: The popularity of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has fallen sharply, while support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad has grown, according to an Israeli study.
The report, carried out by the Institute for National Security Studies at the Israeli Tel Aviv University, urged the Israeli government to strengthen the PA’s security services and boost its economy, describing it as being in the “Israeli interest.”
The research team comprised a retired major general and two academics from the University of Wales in the UK.
Mukhaimer Abu Sa’adaa, a professor of political science at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, said there was ambiguity in Israel’s policy toward Hamas in Gaza and the PA in the West Bank.
“The current Israeli government or its predecessor has no interest in changing the existing reality between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and keeping the division is a clear Israeli goal, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about explicitly,” he told Arab News.
The study said the lack of prospects for a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and presence of a right-wing Israeli government were the key reasons for the falling popularity of the PA under President Mahmoud Abbas.
“Despite the hopes of many, almost three decades after the establishment of the PA and after a series of failed negotiations and policy initiatives, the Israeli-Palestinian political process has reached an impasse,” it said.
The study looked at the causes of the PA’s weakness and the rise of Hamas’ popularity in light of the absence of a clear strategy from Israeli governments on dealing with the Palestinian Authority.
“It seems that the PA — under the leadership of Abu Mazen (Abbas) — is in the most severe situation since the days of the second intifada and on a path of ongoing decline that may end in its collapse,” the study said.
The PA is facing multiple challenges, the most prominent of which are the economic crisis and falling revenues, which have led to the weakening of its security grip in some parts of the West Bank.
In recent months, the authority has been able to pay government employees only partial salaries, which has caused unrest and led to teachers and doctors going on strike more than once.
Israel stepped up its military offensives in the north of the West Bank at the beginning of last year, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries. The incursions into Palestinian cities further weakened the capabilities of the Palestinian Authority.
“The legitimacy of the PA under the leadership of Abu Mazen is at a low point in Palestinian public opinion,” the study said.
It added that the PA and its security apparatus “do not control parts of the territory under their responsibility, as local organizations — alongside the known terrorist organizations — manage to expand their ranks and terrorist infrastructures for the purpose of launching terrorist attacks” against Israeli security forces and Israeli civilians in the West Bank and in Israel.
The president’s “continued resistance to terrorism and support for security cooperation is seen as irrelevant, not serving or promoting the Palestinian interest and therefore illegitimate,” it said.
A separate poll conducted last month by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that 63 percent of Palestinians believe the PA is a burden on them, while 80 percent were dissatisfied with Abbas’ performance.
It found that 50 percent of Palestinians thought the PA’s dissolution would be in the best interests of the Palestinian public, while 63 percent thought its survival was in Israel’s interest.
A total of 71 percent said they supported the establishment of groups such as Lion’s Den that are not under the control of the PA, while 80 percent opposed the PA’s call for them to be disarmed.
The INSS study said that Israel and the Palestinian leadership “do not see eye to eye on the meaning of a strong PA.”
“While the Israeli emphasis is on the functioning of the PA and its adherence to a political process based on direct negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian leadership seeks a strong PA not only for the purposes of improved performance but for the purpose of tightening political and civil control under conditions of lack of legitimacy,” it said.
“Hamas’ political strength does not rest only on its ideology, nor only on the negative sentiment toward the PA. The source of Hamas’ strength is its military capabilities, its full control of the Gaza Strip thanks to its military power, and its cooperation infrastructure with Iran and Hezbollah, which allows it to advance its military buildup in the West Bank, launch and operate the terrorist infrastructures, undermine the security reality and undermine the stature of the PA.”
AL-MUKALLA: Security forces in Aden, Yemen’s interim capital, have launched a campaign against the sale of weapons and the carrying of firearms, in the wake of a series of deadly shootings that have claimed several lives.
Dozens of armed security personnel and vehicles have been stationed at the city’s entrances, intersections, and roads to enforce the ban on civilians, military, and security personnel carrying unlicensed firearms.
Forces have been observed inspecting vehicles for weapons, while a media campaign has been launched on social media and local television to educate the public about the importance of not carrying weapons.
“Carrying a firearm terrifies citizens and promotes the proliferation of crime,” one of the security forces’ Facebook posters says.
Another reads: “Together, we’ll put an end to carrying weapons and shooting at parties. Aden is more attractive without (the proliferation of) weapons.”
Local officials have said that even security and military personnel authorized to carry firearms will not be permitted to tote them on public streets.
The campaign comes after a week of shootings in the city.
In one incident, an armed man opened fire on another man’s car, killing his toddler and injuring another.
A soldier was killed and another injured in the city when a man opened fire on security agents who arrived to apprehend him.
Members of the public have voiced their support for the campaign, while urging peace and safety to be restored to the city.
A group of people gathered on an Aden street, carrying posters in support of the campaign and photographs of the child killed in the shooting.
“Your weapon should only be used on the front lines, not on the streets and highways,” read one of the signs.
Aden residents stressed their support for the arms ban on social media.
Najib Alkaldi, an activist based in the city, said: “We must all stand with the security forces and military forces in the campaign to prevent the carrying of arms in Aden.
“Let us all know that the security forces will not succeed in achieving the goals of this campaign, and they will not continue it, unless we all stand with them.”
It has been claimed that an arms license can be obtained from security offices in Aden for $14.50.
Critics say that the campaign was quickly organized in response to public indignation over the killing of the child, and is likely to end when the outrage subsides.
Fatehi bin Lazerq, editor of Aden Al-Ghad newspaper, told Arab News that for any campaign to be successful, security units and armed groups must be rebuilt and brought under the command of a single security authority.
Bin Lazerq added: “All security operations in Aden to restore security in the city and remove weapons are a response to the violent events that rocked society, and as a result they are limited and their impact is temporary, lasting only a few days.”
LONDON: Israel has been criticized after it used drones to strike targets in a militant stronghold in the occupied West Bank early Monday and deployed hundreds of troops in an incursion that resembled the broad attacks carried out during the second Palestinian uprising two decades ago.
Troops remained inside the Jenin refugee camp on Monday, pushing ahead with the largest operation in the area during more than a year of fighting.It came amid growing domestic pressure for a tough response to a series of attacks on Israeli settlers, including a shooting attack last month that killed four Israelis.
Palestinian health officials said at least eight Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded, some critically.
According to a Palestinian official speaking late on Monday, about 3,000 Palestinians have left Jenin refugee camp after the Israeli operation.
Palestinian authorities and neighboring Jordan and Egypt as well as the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the violence.
“Our Palestinian people will not kneel, will not surrender, will not raise the white flag, and will remain steadfast on their land in the face of this brutal aggression,” said Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
The White House said it was monitoring closely the situation in the West Bank, a spokesperson said on Monday.
“We have seen the reports and are monitoring the situation closely,” a White House spokesperson said. “We support Israel’s security and right to defend its people against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about developments in Jenin, a spokesperson said after Israeli forces hit the West Bank city with drone strikes in one of the largest operations in the area in 20 years.
Guterres “affirms that all military operations must be conducted with full respect for international humanitarian law,” Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.
Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the Palestinian areas, said on Twitter that she was “alarmed by scale of Israeli forces operation,” noting the airstrikes in a densely populated refugee camp. She said the UN was mobilizing humanitarian aid.
On Monday afternoon, the Israeli army said it had uncovered three weapons-making facilities, confiscated hundreds of explosives and shot two Palestinian gunmen during shootouts.
The army also reported exchanges of fire between Israeli security forces and Palestinian gunmen at a mosque where soldiers found explosive devices, weapons and military equipment.
The Jenin camp and an adjacent town of the same name have been a flashpoint since Israeli-Palestinian violence began escalating in spring 2022.
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, accused archenemy Iran of being behind the violence by funding Palestinian militant groups, something the Palestinian side rejects.
“Due to the funds they receive from Iran, the Jenin camp has become a center for terrorist activity,” Cohen told foreign journalists, adding that the operation would be conducted in a “targeted manner” to avoid civilian casualties.
Islamic Jihad, a militant group with a large presence in Jenin, threatened to launch attacks from its Gaza Strip stronghold if the fighting dragged on.
“If the Israeli aggression against Jenin does not stop, the Palestinian resistance will do what it has to do in a short time,” said Dawood Shehab, a spokesman for the group.
Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group also condemned the attacks, saying in a statement that the Palestinians have “many alternatives and means that will make the enemy regret its acts.” Hezbollah fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006.
* With AP