Israel announces exposure of Iranian terror network targeting Israelis abroad

Key Points:

• Israeli intelligence agencies Mossad, IDF, and Shin Bet revealed they exposed an Iranian terror network targeting Israeli officials and assets worldwide, with senior operatives killed during a US-Israeli campaign against Iran starting February 28.
• The network was uncovered following arrests in Azerbaijan, where Iranian plots targeted the Israeli embassy, a synagogue, Jewish leaders, and critical infrastructure like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, carrying a third of Israel’s oil imports.
• The terror cell smuggled explosive drones into Azerbaijan and gathered intelligence under direct orders from IRGC intelligence head Rahman Moqadam, who, along with other senior operatives, was killed during Israeli strikes in the conflict.
• Key figures included Mohsen Suri, involved in coordinating terror cells outside Iran, and Mahdi Yekeh-Dehghan, who led operations smuggling drones through Turkey to Cyprus and spying on US forces at Incirlik Base; both were linked to recent arrests and killed or exposed in coordinated raids.
• Following the conflict escalation, European countries increased security amid fears of Iranian retaliatory attacks, with incidents targeting Jewish and Israeli institutions, some claimed by an Iran-linked terror group, reflecting ongoing IRGC efforts to establish terror cells abroad.