Mossad thwarts Iran's plot to assassinate senior leaders in Israel using foreign criminals

In a rare public statement, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, revealed that it previously thwarted a plot by the Iranian regime to recruit non-Iranian criminals to infiltrate Israel and assassinate Israeli leaders.

In a statement published via the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Mossad noted that the latest operation came amid a series of attempts by Iran to recruit individuals in Israel to carry out terror attacks.

“The deployment of counterterrorism tools and advanced means by the Mossad and the Shin Bet, and close cooperation with intelligence and security agencies around the world, have led to the thwarting of dozens of attack plots orchestrated by Iran.”

The specific incident at the center of Thursday’s revelation “once again exposed Iran's familiar modus operandi of ‘proxy by proxy,” the statement said. It added that through this approach, the regime seeks to distance “itself from the terror activity … thus avoiding consequences and political fallout.”

🛰️ Mossad foils Iranian assassination plot

The Mossad says Israeli and international intelligence services foiled an Iranian Intelligence Ministry plot to infiltrate foreign operatives into Israel to assassinate senior Israeli officials.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office… pic.twitter.com/eoQRlMyOoU

— Israel Realtime (@IsraelRealtime) July 23, 2026

Regarding the latest plot, Iranian intelligence reportedly recruited two Iranian criminals, who then recruited a France-based, allegedly Turkish-background criminal, Servet Ozkur, to set up a cell of foreign nationals for the purpose of infiltrating Israel.

Ozkur, known as “Philippe,” was reportedly contacted by two Iranian criminals known as “Babak” and “Nedim,” who currently live in Iran “under the protection of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.”

Babak and Nedim are reportedly connected to a local drug lord who has been employed by the regime to advance terror attacks for years. Phillippe allegedly visited Iran several times to meet his handlers and receive payments in person.

“The cooperation of the Mossad and the Shin Bet with intelligence agencies around the world, and the investigations carried out in several countries, combined with analysis capabilities,” led to the exposure of the intelligence officers behind this plot, the report stated.

“These were identified as Asadollah Behzadokhsari, Vahid Masoumi, Mohammad Hosein Zoghi and Hamid Ghasemi. Behzadokhsari served as a central element in the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence's efforts to advance terror against Jewish and Israeli targets, and was eliminated during Operation Roaring Lion.”

The Mossad said that Phillippe “paid a heavy price for his involvement in planning terrorist activity at the direction of Iran, which led to his expulsion from France.”

The two Iranian criminals remain alive in Iran and have reportedly continued efforts to handle terror cells. The Mossad noted that they “constitute a target of interest for intelligence agencies around the world.”

The intelligence agency also said, “Despite the attempt to avoid an Iranian fingerprint, the proxy method proves the negligence of the ground elements time and again, which leads to the exposure of their handlers in Iran.”

The statement noted that Israel’s intelligence agencies identified and foiled numerous similar Iranian attempts to recruit and handle elements in Israel over the past two years.

“The enemy's modus operandi includes the recruitment of criminal ‘proxy’ structures which handle, in turn, elements located in Israel or capable of entering Israel, in order to gather intelligence on the attack target and subsequently carry out the attack.”

“The Mossad and the Shin Bet will continue to act jointly with their partners around the world to uncover and thwart terror and espionage activities against Jewish and Israeli interests in Israel and abroad, and enforce the full extent of the law against all parties involved,” the agencies vowed.

The Mossad only rarely announces its operations, though the Shin Bet and the Israel Police have released multiple statements about operations to identify Iranian spies in Israel, several of whom have been indicted in recent months.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Israel is turning to influential ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) rabbis and social media personalities to help counter a growing Iranian campaign to recruit Israeli citizens online for espionage. The report came after at least 60 Israelis were indicted on charges of cooperating with Iran in plots targeting Israel’s security.

In one of the latest cases, police and the Shin Bet announced the arrest of a man in his 30s from the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam on suspicion of maintaining contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security-related missions on their behalf.