Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday that police detained 33 individuals they suspect of targeting foreigners living in Turkey for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Yerlikaya claimed that the Israelis were attempting to identify, assault, and kidnap foreign nationals and Hamas members living in Turkey.

• Turkey does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization and previously warned Israel against hunting down Hamas members living outside Palestinian territories. During “Operation Mole,” Turkish counter-terrorism and intelligence operators raided 57 locations in eight provinces across the country. Yerlikaya stated that police discovered an unregistered gun, large amounts of foreign currency, and some digital materials on the suspected Mossad operatives.
• The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign Ministry have not responded to Yerlikaya’s claims. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized one another regarding the conflict in Gaza as recently as last week.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-detains-33-people-suspected-espionage-israels-mossad-state-media-2024-01-02/