33 persons are allegedly being held by Turkey on suspicion of working as Israeli spies. According to a report by the Anadolu Agency, the police is still looking for 13 other persons who may be connected to Israel’s Mossad secret organization.
Ankara has issued warnings in the past declaring that it will not permit Israel to attack Hamas within Turkish territory.
According to the agency, the individuals in question were taken into custody during searches in Istanbul and seven additional provinces for allegedly plotting to engage in “reconnaissance” as well as “pursuing, assaulting, and kidnapping” foreign people who were residents of Turkey.
Turkish Interior Minister declared on social media that Turkey won’t tolerate espionage activities to be performed against its national integrity and unity.
Neither the accused nor the purported targets who were foreign nationals were disclosed by Anadolu. The findings of the investigation were released in the weeks following the announcement made on tape by the director of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, that his group is ready to eradicate Hamas “in every place,” naming Turkey as an example among others.
Israel faced “serious consequences,” according to Turkish President, if it carried out its threat to target Hamas officials within Turkish borders.
Israel-Turkey Ties
After years of hostility, Turkey and Israel restored diplomatic relations in 2022 and began the process of normalizing relations. However, during the Israel-Hamas conflict, that détente swiftly collapsed, with Ankara emerging as one of the most vocal opponents of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Due to “increasingly harsh statements” made by Turkish authorities, Israel declared later that it was withdrawing its envoys from Turkey due to political causes having first removed them due to safety issues. Additionally, Turkish ambassador in Israel was removed by Turkey.
At first, Erdogan’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict was somewhat subdued. However, the Turkish president has now criticized Israel more harshly, calling its conduct in Gaza the brink of “genocide.”
He has likened Israeli Prime Minister to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and demanded that Bibi be charged with “war crimes.”
The head of Turkey, whose administration has previously welcomed a number of Hamas representatives, has stated that the Palestinian organization is battling for the independence of its territories and citizens.
The Turkish law enforcement agencies have made a number of arrests recently. Approximately 500 persons were arrested in operations across the nation in the two weeks leading up to the new year on suspicion of having links to ISIS.
It was believed that the arrests were meant to be part of a security force operation in Turkey prior to of the New Year celebrations. 39 persons were murdered in an ISIS assault in Istanbul on January 1, 2017.
However, others have also seen the recent spike in arrests as a political ploy ahead of the March municipal elections. Analysts speculate that President Erdogan is keen to regain the AK Party’s lost authority over Istanbul, Ankara, and other important economic centers.
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