Israeli Intelligence Foils Iranian Plot to Infiltrate Terror Cell Targeting Officials

Israeli intelligence agencies, including the Mossad and Shin Bet, in cooperation with foreign intelligence services, uncovered and thwarted an Iranian Ministry of Intelligence operation aimed at infiltrating a terror cell into Israel to attack senior Israeli figures. The operation was exposed through a joint intelligence effort that dismantled the Iranian terror network and prevented the planned attack.

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been conducting a global terror campaign against Israeli and Jewish targets in recent years. Recently, Iran intensified efforts to carry out attacks inside Israel by recruiting foreign nationals and using indirect operational methods to obscure Tehran's direct involvement. The investigation revealed that Iran employed a "Proxy by Proxy" model, using criminal intermediaries to recruit operatives capable of entering Israel, gathering intelligence, and executing attacks.

Central to the case is Tharout Ozkor, known as "Philip," who lived in France and was recruited by two Iranian-backed criminal proxies, Baba Mahu-Zadeh Haji Jafan ("Babak") and Mahmat Nadim Yait ("Nadim"), both currently in Iran under the Ministry of Intelligence's protection. These proxies are linked to drug lord Naji Sharifi Zindashti, who has long been used by Iran to advance terror activities. Philip was responsible for recruiting a foreign operative cell to infiltrate Israel and traveled to Iran multiple times to meet handlers and receive payments.

The investigation also identified Iranian intelligence officers behind the operation: Asadollah Behzad Okhsari, Khid Matzoumi, Mohammad-Hossein Doki, and Hamid Qasemi. Behzad Okhsari was a key figure in Iranian terror efforts against Israeli and Jewish targets and was killed during the "Lion's Roar" war. Philip was expelled from France following the exposure of the plot, while Babak and Nadim continue to operate from Iran, monitored closely by global intelligence agencies.

Israeli security officials emphasized that the case highlights Iran's method of using layers of proxies and criminal organizations to conceal its involvement. However, operational mistakes by the Iranian side and international intelligence collaboration led to the full exposure of the network up to Tehran's intelligence officers.