Israeli and Turkish authorities are mounting an unprecedented collaboration to prevent Iranian terror cells from harming Israelis in the country, Channel 12 News reported Tuesday, adding that there is massive police presence in tourism hotspots in Istanbul – a favorite destination for Israelis traveling to Turkey.
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Thousands of Israelis are believed to be vacationing in Turkey at this time or are in the country for business. According to the report, some 1,000 Israelis have been personally warned by security officials over the fact they are being targeted and told they should return to Israel immediately.
Compliance has been partial at best, with officials criticizing vacationists for not demonstrating greater personal responsibility.
Yair Lapid calls on Israelis to cancel Turkey trips
'We call all Israelis not to fly to Istanbul... If you are already in Istanbul, return to Israel as soon as posible,' says Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid pic.twitter.com/7N6HncDWWf
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 13, 2022
According to the report, earlier this week, an Israeli staying in Turkey reported that he narrowly escaped an abduction attempt, saying he got away only after fighting off his assailants. Details of the case have been placed under a media embargo.
Channel 12 News noted that intelligence on the ground suggested that Turkish authorities have yet to nab the members of all the Iranian cells in the country and the effort is ongoing.
On Monday, the National Security Council's Counterterrorism Bureau raised its travel warning for Istanbul to the highest level possible. The Level 4 travel advisory stipulates that Israelis should not travel to Istanbul, and any Israelis currently there should leave immediately.
The NSC, however, cannot bar Israelis from flying to Turkey. With airlines reluctant to refund trips based on a travel advisory only, many Israelis have said they do not plan on canceling their trips.
The NSC, Mossad intelligence agency, and Israel Security Agency have formed a special task force to analyze intelligence concerning the Iranian threat to Israelis in Turkey.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that the Israeli defense establishment "is doing everything within its power to foil such attacks and neutralize those sending the terrorists and those planning the attacks."
Israel, he stressed, "will not hesitate to employ its reach anywhere in the world to make sure our citizens are safe."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement pledging to "relentlessly fight terrorism" – a move welcomed by Jerusalem. Channel 12 News cited a defense official as saying the Turks are sparing no effort to assist Israel on this matter.
"Turkey doesn't want Israelis – or anyone else – to be placed in harm's way on its soil, so it sees the threat to Israelis in the country as a threat to its own interests," the official said.
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