Turkey arrests suspected Israeli spies

2024-01-13 22:35:57, Kosova & Bota CNA

Turkey arrested dozens of people this month on charges of spying for Israel. The sensational arrests are seen as a warning to Israel to stop targeting Palestinians living in Turkey, after Israel warned it would target anyone involved in the October 7 attack.

Turkish authorities raided dozens of homes in early January in a major operation against alleged spy cells run by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency. The raids came after President Tayyip Erdogan warned of "serious consequences" if Israel tried to target Palestinian Hamas militants in Turkey.

VOA spoke with Mr. Murat Aslan, an analyst with the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a think tank based in Ankara.

"It is very clear from the threats of the Israelis that Turkey has been chosen as a target for attacks on Hamas. In this case, Turkish intelligence on the orders of the president warned Israeli intelligence in Ankara not to act. After this warning came the political warning, Turkish intelligence identified activated Mossad cells in Turkey."

Israel has not commented on the arrests, but Israeli military leaders and ministers have vowed to track down individuals involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, regardless of where they are.

President Erdogan is a strong supporter of Hamas, often describing it as a liberation movement.

Analysts say Turkey is seen as a possible target for Israel to strike those who played a role in the October 7 attacks.

VOA spoke with Ms. Gallia Lindenstrauss, an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

"The analysis of the massacres of October 7, how they happened and how well they were planned, shows that there was definitely a lot of help from outside and a lot of things coming from outside Gaza. "Obviously some of it came through Turkey, but not from the Turkish government, as the Turkish government and security authorities did not pay enough attention to what was happening."

This is not the first case of a clash between Turkish intelligence, MIT, and Israeli intelligence, Mossad. But both of these intelligence services recently cooperated in busting an Iranian plot against Israel, says analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

"There was obviously good cooperation between Turkish intelligence and the Israeli Mossad that led to the foiling of an expected attack against Israelis on Turkish soil in 2022. The two intelligence services are known for their cooperation and respect each other. the other".

In December, Turkish authorities arrested suspected Islamic State members accused of planning attacks on synagogues. As the war in Gaza continues, experts say Ankara is determined to prevent the conflict from spilling over to Turkey.

"Turkey does not want to be a playground for intelligence services. Therefore, I think that the Turkish discovery increased the activity to identify exactly who is involved and in what activity," Murat Aslan with the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a research institute based in Ankara, told VOA.

Turkey has faced terrorist attacks and assassinations in the past, which has severely damaged tourism and the economy in general. Analysts say that Ankara is determined that the war in the Middle East will not spread through the streets of Turkey./ VOA