Turkey: 3 Iranians held on suspicion of planning attacks against Israelis
Last month Israel lowered the level of travel warning for Istanbul
Turkish security forces arrested three Iranians suspected of plotting terrorist attacks against Israeli nationals in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Friday.
According to the Turkish TV channel NTV and the Sabah newspaper, the three Iranians were arrested Thursday in the course of a continuing operation to thwart attacks against Israelis in Turkey.
The latest arrests bring the number of suspected Iranian terrorists arrested in Turkey in July to seven. In June, 10 suspected members of an Iranian cell were detained in a single bust.
Israel on June 13 urged its citizens to immediately leave Istanbul — a popular tourist destination for Israelis — because of the "real and immediate danger" coming from Iranian operatives, raising the travel warning on the Turkish city to four on a four-point scale.
However, in late June, Israel's National Security Council lowered the level of the travel warning after the government said Iranian assassination plots targeting Israelis in the city were thwarted. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid visited Ankara, thanking Turkey for its "professional and coordinated activity" in preventing the attacks.
After years of tension, Turkey and Israel enjoyed close security and diplomatic ties in recent months.
Iran and Israel are engaged in a years-long shadow war, but tensions skyrocketed following a string of high-profile incidents that Tehran blamed on Israel.