New footage from Istanbul’s CCTV cameras, shown on Turkish media on Wednesday, showed suspected Iranian terror squads following Israeli tourists and diplomats whom they planned to kidnap or kill.
The Iranians were seen at the Istanbul airport, at hotels and in Taksim Square among other locations, following people they had identified as Israelis.
Israeli and Turkish intelligence agencies warned last spring, of an imminent attack by Iranian operatives, on Israelis working or visiting in Istanbul, after a series of killings of officials in Iran who were linked to the nuclear program and the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Israel issued a travel warning for the Turkish city and Prime Minister Yair Lapid urged Israelis there, to leave immediately and return home for their own safety.
The Iranian operatives, sometimes moving in pairs, on foot or in cars, posed as tourists, businessmen and students. Some entered Turkey with fake passports while switching vehicles often in order to throw authorities off their trail.
Turkish intelligence however, followed them from the moment they entered the country and until the moment of their arrests.
Turkish security officials found three firearms, a pistol and silencer, two night-vision binoculars, 24 bullets, fake passports, cash, digital devices and controlled substances, in the rooms where the Iranian squad had resided.
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Firearms and silencers found by Turkish forces where the Iranian terror squad had resided
During a meeting with then Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid over cooperative efforts between Turkey and Israel, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tukey would not allow terror activity on its soil.
“We were in close contact with Lapid over terror threats against Israelis, and cooperation between our intelligence agencies was close,” Çavuşoğlu said.
Lapid thanked the Turkish government for protecting Israeli lives.
"We are grateful for the Turkish government for its professional and synchronized operation. Iran is behind these terror threats, and Intelligence reports back that up, Lapid said in June.
"This isn’t just an attempt at the lives of innocent Israeli tourists, but also a clear violation of Turkish sovereignty by Iranian terror attempts. No country needs to tolerate terror," he said.