Report: Turkish Forces Foil Hizbullah Plot to Attack Israeli Target
Turkish forces have foiled a Hizbullah plot to attack an undisclosed Israeli target in the country, Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon as saying.
Defense sources told Haaretz that the planned attack was aimed at avenging the killing of Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh in a car bombing in Damascus in February 2008.
The plot was uncovered over a month ago, with Turkish media publishing a warning issued by the local police”s senior command to its officers to take steps to prevent a Hizbullah attack on American and Israeli targets, according to Haaretz.
According to the Israeli daily, Turkish reports said Hizbullah had set up a network of Iranian agents posing as tourists in Istanbul, with the cooperation of Iranian security agencies.
Haaretz said U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller visited Ankara last month asking for access to the country”s biometric database, in order to identify "terror activists" moving in and out of Turkey.
"Israel believes the organization would like to carry out an attack against a distant Israeli target, without dragging Lebanon into another war with Israel," Haaretz said.