Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) uncovered a network of Israel's intelligence service Mossad through the financial network the spies had used.
On Jan. 2, MIT launched an operation against 46 suspects, 34 of whom were detained. Authorities ruled that eight of these are to be deported. Operations are underway to capture the other suspects. Authorities said operations were held in eight provinces against people suspected of involvement in espionage activities for Israel.
MIT started to follow the network three years ago through the statements of another detained spy, Muhammed Salhab, who was studying medicine in Konya province and taking spying training from Mossad agents. In coordination with the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), MIT exposed the financial network.
The network through which more than one Mossad agent and courier sent money to Salhab in Türkiye was exposed. Following the investigation, it was determined that Mossad leaders Mark Consul, Alexandru Dorin Siretean and Ahmad Kilany sent money to the 46-strong network.
On Dec. 20, MIT told the police that the Israeli Intelligence Service Online Operations Center would target Palestinians and their families living in Türkiye and determined 26 suspects in contact with seven phone numbers belonging to the Israeli center.
Apart from the 26 suspects, another 20 figures were determined to receive money from the center through Western Union. The intelligence center contacted the 46 suspects through their social media accounts as well as Whatsapp and Telegram. Communication was maintained without video or voice calls but rather only through messaging.
The Israeli intelligence aimed to benefit from the suspects in terms of remote resource procurement and research on their targets in the field, reconnaissance, taking photo-videos and creating informative notes regarding this, as well as assault, wounding, pursuit, robbery and kidnapping.
Payments were made to the suspects from countries such as China, Spain, Kenya, France, Romania, Macedonia and the United Arab Emirates via Western Union, Havala and Moneygram.
According to the investigation, Mossad has been using job advertisement sites used by Arab citizens on Facebook. Here, it trapped people in financial difficulties with offers in dollars and euros. Another platform through which Mossad persuaded people of Arab descent living in Türkiye to spy on Israel was a foreign language learning program called Speaky, which enables online mutual messaging.
One of the suspects, Luey M., code-named "Lucy," stated in his statement that he met a person named "Belgian Sera," registered in the name of Israeli intelligence, thanks to this program.
Turkish intelligence sources told Anadolu Agency (AA) last month that Israeli intelligence was warned against any attempt to assassinate members of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Türkiye.
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, Ronen Bar, said in a recording aired by Israel's public broadcaster Kan before the statements of Turkish intelligence sources.
"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," he said.
