Iranians, Pakistanis and Turkish Cypriots were involved in the Iranian conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in Cyprus, using the Turkish Occupied Territories as a springboard.
On June 30, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad announced that it had arrested an agent of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was planning attacks against Israeli targets in Cyprus.
In a statement, the agency said the agent, identified as Yousef Shahbazi Abashalilo, was arrested during a special operation inside Iran.
Abasalillo confesses in a video released by Mossad that he was given weapons for the plot by senior IRGC officials and instructions on how to attack Israeli businessmen in Cyprus.
The alleged Iranian agent described following an Israeli target in Cyprus and waiting for the opportunity to kill him. He also names his handler as Hassan Sushtiari Zadeh, a well-known and high-ranking commander in the Foreign Intelligence Branch of the Guard.
Abasalillo continues to claim that the plan failed when police in Cyprus uncovered the plot and he was forced to flee back to Iran as they searched for him.
According to Mossad, the information received from Abashalilo led to the dismantling of the rest of the IRGC cell by Cypriot security forces. The conspirators included Iranians, Pakistanis and locals.
Israeli Channel 12 reported earlier this week that the targets of the plot included an Israeli real estate businessman and a Chabad house, as well as hotels and entertainment venues frequented by Israeli tourists. However, this information was not confirmed by Mossad.
The Israeli intelligence agency said in its statement that it "will continue to act decisively to prevent harm to Jews and Israelis around the world."
Commenting on the Mossad announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said: "the State of Israel works using a wide variety of methods in every place to protect Jews and Israelis and will continue to act to destroy Iranian terrorism wherever it rears its head, including on Iranian soil."
Abashalilo's fate was not specified by the Mossad. For its part, Iran has yet to comment on the intelligence agency's claims.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a decades-long shadow war across the Middle East and beyond. In recent years, there have been numerous reports of Iranian attempts to attack Israeli targets in Cyprus, Turkey, Georgia and Greece. The new alleged plot will add to the tensions between the two regional powers.
