Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Turkey on Thursday as both countries continue to work together to thwart Iranian terror threats. The statement said that Lapid, during his trip on Thursday, would meet with Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who last month visited Israel to encourage expanded economic cooperation
The announcement came just hours after President Isaac Herzog spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about ongoing attempts by Iranian agents to harm Israeli travelers in Turkey.
Herzog thanked Erdogan for his "efforts to thwart terrorist activities on Turkish soil." The two vowed to "continue to work toward peace and regional stability through continuous and open dialogue."
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In recent days Lapid has called publicly on Israelis to avoid going to Turkey, particularly to Istanbul, due to an Iranian plot to kidnap or kill Israelis. The National Security Council's Counterterrorism Bureau also raised its travel warning for Istanbul to 4, the highest level. A Level 4 travel warning means that Israelis should not travel to Istanbul, and any Israelis currently there should leave.
On Friday, Channel 12 News reported that Israeli and Turkish intelligence services managed to thwart an attack against Israelis, arresting the members of an Iranian terrorist cell. It is believed that Iran is seeking to retaliate against the recent mysterious deaths of Iranian scientists and top Revolutionary Guard officers, which Tehran blames on Israel.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz over the weekend urged Israeli nationals visiting Turkey to follow the recommendations issued by the ministry to minimize risk amid the threat of an Iranian attack.
"Israel is working to foil the Iranians' attempts to carry out an attack and is preparing to respond with force in the face of any threat to Israeli citizens everywhere," the official said.
Gantz said Israel obtained intelligence that several Iranian terrorist squads were actively trying to "hunt Israelis" through social media or identify them at major tourist sites in Istanbul to abduct or kill them.
Speaking at Sunday's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, "We are witnessing Iranian attempts to harm Israelis overseas. Israel's defense establishment is working to stop terrorist attacks before they can be carried out. We will continue to target those who send terrorists and those behind them, as well. "We have a new rule – if you send them [terrorists] you will pay for it," the prime minister stressed.
Iran has not commented on the Israeli travel warning, which is currently focused on Istanbul. In a June 13 statement that did not name any other countries, Turkey's Foreign Ministry alluded to the warning and said it was a safe country with "cooperation mechanisms for the battle with terrorism".
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