Turkish authorities have detained 33 people on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities on behalf of Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad, according to security sources.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor Office's Terrorism and Organised Crimes Investigation Bureau, focusing on international espionage.
The suspects are alleged to have been involved in activities such as reconnaissance, surveillance, assault, and abduction on behalf of Mossad.
Simultaneous raids across 57 addresses in eight provinces resulted in the capture of the suspects, while search operations for the remaining 13 suspects are underway.
A counter-terrorism operation, jointly organised by the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and Istanbul Police, nabbed the suspects.
Posing as employees for a consulting company out of Istanbul, the suspects provided information on Palestinians in Türkiye to Mossad in exchange for money.
Israel has not responded to the allegations.
Israel's threat
Last month, Ronen Bar, head of the Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin-Bet (Shabak), said in a recording broadcast on Israeli state television KAN that Israel is "determined to kill Hamas leaders all over the world, including Qatar, Türkiye, and Lebanon, even if it takes years."
In response, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Tel Aviv of heavy prices amid reports of an Israeli plot to assassinate Hamas members living outside Palestine.
“If they dare to take such a step against Türkiye and Turkish people, they will be doomed to pay a price which they cannot recover from,” Erdogan told journalists..
“Those who attempt such a thing should not forget that the consequences can be extremely serious. No one is unaware of Türkiye's progress in both intelligence and security fields worldwide. Additionally, we are not a newly established state,” he stressed.
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