Thursday, October 17, 2013

Report: Turkey blows cover of Israeli spy network in Iran

 

Ankara decided to disclose identity of at least 10 Iranians spying for Israel to Tehran, Washington Post columnist writes; sources say Turkish action was "significant" loss of intelligence to Israel.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Turkey disclosed to the Iranian intelligence the identity of up to ten Iranians who were allegedly spying on Tehran for Israel, journalist David Ignatius wrote in a column published in The Washington Post on Thursday.

According to Ignatius, Ankara's decision to expose the alleged Mossad informants came as the Turkish-Israeli relations continued to deteriorate following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.

Ignatius cites sources as saying the Turkish action was a "significant" loss of intelligence and "an effort to slap the Israelis."

According to Ignatius, the Mossad ran a part of its Iranian spy network through Turkey. The Turkish intelligence conducts aggressive surveillance inside its borders, which enabled it to monitor covert Israeli-Iranian meetings.

Israel, Ignatius writes, ties Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to the Iranian intelligence. Despite that, Israel's ally the US continued dealing with Fidan on sensitive matters and Washington did not protest the Turkish action directly to Ankara.
 

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