Mossad thwarts Iranian terror plan against Israeli targets in Africa - report

The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has thwarted an Iranian terrorist plot targeting the Israeli embassy in Senegal and Israeli diplomats in Uganda, the Iranian opposition–affiliated outlet Iran International reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, operatives from the Iranian regime’s elite Quds Force recruited Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and local Africans to gather intelligence on Israeli diplomatic personnel in both countries. Mossad reportedly worked with friendly African governments to foil the plot. The Quds Force serves as the international arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The terrorist network centered around Zahid Javed, a Pakistani national who had lived in Iran and was eventually recruited by the Iranian Quds officials Muhammad Naeem, Reza Ghobadi and Meysam Sahraei. Javed then recruited the Bangladeshi national Ahmed Homan who had also resided in Iran. Javed and Homan together recruited local operatives for the plots across Africa.

The ayatollah regime’s modus operandi deliberately uses foreign operatives in an attempt to cover up the connection to Tehran. However, the recruited individuals are often amateurs, which increases the likelihood that they will be discovered.

“Iran continues to use this method in order to distance itself from the operations carried out on the ground and to avoid the diplomatic consequences and costs associated with promoting terrorism,” an anonymous source who is familiar with the details stated.

“Despite efforts to avoid leaving an Iranian fingerprint, the proxy strategy repeatedly exposes the incompetence of operatives in the field, who often seek to extort money from their handlers rather than carry out the assigned mission. As a result, the Iranian government wastes public funds on terror activity that is thwarted before it can be executed,” the source explained.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a security official revealed that Tehran continues to plot terrorist attacks against the Jewish state’s interests worldwide including African countries.

“Iran continues to invest considerable resources in revenge attempts against Israel worldwide, including across Africa, which has become a key theater of operations," the security official assessed. "Mossad and the security services of friendly African nations once again demonstrate that every such attempt will be foiled early on."

Earlier this month, Mexico prevented an Iranian terrorist plot to assassinate the Israeli Ambassador to Mexico Einat Kranz-Neiger. Mexican intelligence foiled the Iranian plot in cooperation with its Israeli and American counterparts.

“The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” an unnamed but informed US official revealed. “This is just the latest in a long history of Iran’s global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence.”

Like in other cases when Iranian plots have been exposed and foiled, Tehran officially denied any involvement in the plan to murder the Israeli ambassador.

“Our embassy stated that we found this allegation so absurd and ridiculous that we did not even think it required an official response from the spokesperson,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated.

“Efforts to destroy Iran’s friendly ties with other countries are among the schemes pursued by the Zionist regime. Therefore, the entire claim is fabricated. As you witnessed, both the Mexican Foreign Ministry and the country’s intelligence agencies issued statements dismissing the allegation altogether,” he added.

However, the Iranian ayatollah regime’s extensive involvement in international terrorism is well-documented and beyond dispute.

In October 2024, a European report revealed that the Iranian regime recruits criminal networks across Europe to target Jews, Israelis and dissident Iranians. Many of the criminals have Middle Eastern family background.

In April, CNN reported that Iran was recruiting young criminals to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Sweden and other European countries.