Israel's Shin Bet warns of increased Iranian assassination attempts

David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad speaks with Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet during an event in Jerusalem (May 5, 2024)
David Barnea, the head of the Israeli Mossad speaks with Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet during an event in Jerusalem (May 5, 2024)

Israel's domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet on Monday accused Iran of being behind a sharp rise in attempts to recruit Israeli citizens to kill senior officials.

The strategy began around a decade ago but has been stepped up in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel and especially during the latest escalation between Iran and Israel, the agency said in a statement on Monday.

“In recent weeks, the Shin Bet has detected a significant rise in Iran’s efforts to advance assassination attacks against targets in Israel,” the Shin Bet said.

Iranians are working to recruit Israeli citizens online including through job search engines as well as finance and crypto currency sites, the agency added

Israelis have been offered sizable payments for tasks such as burying money and phones in various places in Israel, distributing flyers and setting fire to vehicles, it added.

Several assassination plots had reached very advanced stages, the Shin Bet said, without elaborating.

Earlier this month, Shin Bet announced the arrest of an Israeli citizen Moti Maman who was smuggled into Iran twice and was allegedly tasked with helping to assassinate the Israeli prime minister, defense minister, or head of the Shin Bet.