Israel warns against travel to Turkey over Iranian retaliation fears

Israel’s Nationwide Safety Council has warned its residents towards travelling to Turkey over fears of Iranian revenge assaults within the wake of the assassination of a high-ranking commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) final week

Sayyad Khodai, a senior member of the IRGC, was gunned down in Tehran by two assailants driving a bike who fled the scene. Israel didn’t formally declare duty for the killing of Kodai – nevertheless, Tehran has accused Tel Aviv of being behind the assassination.

On Monday, Haaretz reported that the Nationwide Safety Council had up to date its journey recommendation for Israeli residents wanting to go to Turkey.

“For a number of weeks now, and much more so since Iran blamed Israel for the demise of the Revolutionary Guards officer final week, there was rising concern within the protection institution about Iranian makes an attempt to hurt Israeli targets all over the world,” the Nationwide Safety Council stated in an announcement. 

The council added that “an actual risk to Israelis is posed within the Turkish enviornment and nations which share a border with Iran.”

Excessive profile goal

Israel claimed that Khodai had plotted a number of assaults towards Israeli residents and diplomats, together with a 2012 automotive bombing in New Delhi, which severely injured the spouse of an Israeli diplomat in India.

Khodai has additionally been accused of planning assaults on Israelis in Thailand, Kenya, Colombia, Cyprus and Turkey. Final week, Israel elevated its safety alertness in missions and embassies worldwide for worry of Iranian retaliation.

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In line with the New York Instances, Israel had knowledgeable US officers that the assassination of Khodai was meant as a message to Iran to place an finish to the exercise of Unit 840, an elite unit inside the IRGC tasked with finishing up assaults on targets exterior Iran.

Iran has by no means acknowledged the existence of Unit 840, of which Khodai was reportedly its deputy commander.

Khodai is the highest-profile Iranian determine to be assassinated because the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prime Iranian nuclear scientist, in November 2020. 

Khodai was killed on 22 Might exterior his house in Mohahedin-e Eslam Avenue, one of many securest areas in Tehran, the place prime Iranian officers within the IRGC and its elite Quds Power stay. 

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