Israel will hunt down Hamas in Lebanon, Türkiye and Qatar even if it takes years, the head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet said in a recording aired by Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Sunday.
It was unclear when Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar made the remarks or to whom.
The agency itself declined to comment on the report.
"The Cabinet has set us a goal, in street talk, to eliminate Hamas. This is our Munich. We will do this everywhere, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Türkiye, in Qatar. It will take a few years but we will be there to do it."
By Munich, Bar was referring to Israel's response to the 1972 killing of 11 Israeli Olympic team members when gunmen from the Palestinian Black September group launched an attack on the Munich games.
Israel responded by carrying out a targeted assassination campaign against Black September operatives and organizers over several years and in several countries.
Hamas leaders reside in or frequently visit Lebanon, Türkiye and Qatar.
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has frequently exposed or thwarted Mossad operations.
In July, it exposed a "ghost" cell of 56 operatives spying on non-Turkish nationals in the country on behalf of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. MIT further found that Mossad sent its spies of Arab origin in Istanbul to especially Lebanon and Syria to gather intelligence and mark locations to be struck by armed drones.
Turkish media also reported in May that MIT busted another cell of 15 Mossad agents based in Istanbul and made six arrests.
Moreover, last December, Türkiye exposed another group of seven people spying on Palestinians for Mossad, which used their intelligence to launch online defamation campaigns and threats against Palestinians.
