Report: Turkey blows cover of Israeli spy network in Iran

[Surenas]

Turkey disclosed to 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 early last year as 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.

Fidan, who is a key adviser to Erdogan, has "rattled" key allies in the past by revealing sensitive information collected by Israel and the US to Iran, according to Ignatius.

The decision to reveal the identities of the spies was personally approved by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Ignatius. The columnist speculated that the premier's move may explain Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's initial refusal to apologize to Erdogan, who has made it a point to assume a more adversarial position toward Israel in hopes of boosting Turkey's regional standing, over the deaths of Turkish civilians on the Mavi Marmara.

Ignatius cited assessments by American intelligence officials who believe that the Mossad was taken by surprise considering that the Israeli spy agency had to that point enjoyed a 50-year working relationship with Turkey.

Report: Turkey blows cover of Israeli spy network in Iran | JPost | Israel News

 

[Syrian Lion]

The Turkish-Israeli relationship became so poisonous early last year that the Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have disclosed to Iranian intelligence the identities of up to 10 Iranians who had been meeting inside Turkey with their Mossad case officers.

Knowledgeable sources describe the Turkish action as a “significant” loss of intelligence and “an effort to slap the Israelis.” The incident, disclosed here for the first time, illustrates the bitter, multi-dimensional spy wars that lie behind the current negotiations between Iran and Western nations over a deal to limit the Iranian nuclear program. A Turkish Embassy spokesman had no comment.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Israeli intelligence had apparently run part of its Iranian spy network through Turkey, which has relatively easy movement back and forth across its border with Iran. The Turkish intelligence service, known as the Milli Istihbarat Teskilati, or MIT, conducts aggressive surveillance inside its borders, so it had the resources to monitor Israeli-Iranian covert meetings.

U.S. officials assessed the incident as a problem of misplaced trust, rather than bad tradecraft. They reasoned that the Mossad, after more than 50 years of cooperation with Turkey, never imagined the Turks would “shop” Israeli agents to a hostile power, in the words of one source.


David Ignatius: Turkey blows Israel’s cover for Iranian spy ring - The Washington Post

 

[GoodoldBoy]

Trouble in paradise?

 

[Falcon29]

Turkey should arrest these Israeli agents who are setting up terrorist networks in their territory in which they make turkey suffer the consequences of Mossad murders in Iran.

 

[Falcon29]

Danny Yatom: 'Mortal' Blow to Turkish Relations - Defense/Security - News - Israel National News


Officials in Israel's intelligence community expressed shock and anger over the report Thursday that Turkey had given Tehran the identities of ten Israelis who were gathering information in Iran.

According to the report in the Washington Post Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan deliberately exposed a network of Iranians who had been working with the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. Sources told the paper that Turkey’s deliberate exposure of the agents’ identities was a “significant” blow to Israel’s intelligence in Iran.

No official announcement has been made in Iran on the arrest of the agents, but Israeli officials said that they believed the report was accurate.

This, despite the fact that Iran and Turkey are rivals.

“That rivalry makes it unlikely that they would cooperate on a level like this,” said Israeli security analyst Roni Daniel. But Israeli security officials, he said, are aware that the Turkish and Iranian intelligence services have worked together on numerous issues. Thus it is quite likely that the story is correct.

There was no official comment by the government. Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin told Israel Radio that Israel's relations with Turkey were “complicated. Turkey is seeking to become the leader of the Middle East, and thinks it has found the easiest path to this – agitating against Israel.”

..............

 

[Surenas]

Excuse me, but in this case, isn't Israel the one who operated on Turkish soil on intelligence matters without consoling Turkey first? They have no reason to complain IMO.

 

[500]

Anonymous sources BS.

 

[Falcon29]

Excuse me, but in this case, isn't Israel the one who operated on Turkish soil on intelligence matters without consoling Turkey first? They have no reason to complain IMO.

I'm not sure. They used to cooperate and the Mossad heads often visit Turkey and have discussions with their intelligence chiefs. So I'm spectacle, I wouldn't trust Turkey a hundred percent yet.

I do believe Erdogan is moderate Islamist though, but I cannot be sure this would result in their nation cutting all ties with Israel or having a policy that refuses to cooperate with Israeli intelligence.

 

[Falcon29]

Anonymous sources BS.

It hasn't been denied yet. Why do you doubt it so quickly?

Is it just a random piece to demonize Turkey in American media?

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Anonymous sources BS.

Iranians are willing to sell their souls to get rid of the crazed Mullahs. I wouldn't be surprised if the news turned out to be true.


On other note, don't you think that Bibi is taking it too far these days?

 

[elis]

I don't believe that the Turkey of Erdogan is an enemy of Israel, it's again a comedy move along people

It's just when Al Qaeda pretend fighting USA with only 1 attack at Benghazi against the embassy, they just want to deceive people and make as if they are not friends

 

[-SINAN-]

Turkey denies claims on disclosure of Israeli spies, intelligence chief

Turkish government officials were quick to deny claims reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius that Ankara blew the cover on a group of Israeli spies, disclosing their names to Iranian intelligence.

“Various campaigns both at international and national level are recently underway,” Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said from his hometown of Konya on Oct. 17, blaming those campaigns for trying to discredit the government’s “mission” and Ankara’s goal to raise Turkey’s global profile.

Ignatius had claimed in his Washington Post column that during a bitter period in bilateral relations, Turkey gave up the identities of around 10 Israelis to Tehran, who had been working with Israeli intelligence, in “an effort to slap the Israelis,” according to sources that Ignatius described as “knowledgeable.”

Also referring to another article published in the Wall Street Journal last week about the preponderance of Turkish Intelligence Chief Hakan Fidan in Ankara’s Syria stance, Davutoğlu argued that the timing of both publications was “important.” Ignatius' article also mentions Fidan, claiming that he was considered by Israeli authorities to be suspect due to his close ties to Tehran.

“The claims on Hakan Fidan are not only unfounded but also an example of a very poor black propaganda,” Davutoğlu said.

Mustafa Varank, one of the prime minister’s advisers, also responded to Ignatius’ article, describing the report as “incoherent” via Twitter. Varank argued that Ignatius’ story clashed with the reality of intelligence agencies.

“Ignatius’ article is so incoherent. The intelligence world operates according to agreements,” he tweeted.

“The fall was going to get heated, wasn’t it?” he said in reference to predictions that the Gezi protests would restart after the summer. “Their predictions have not panned out, and for that reason, they have started a campaign against the reputation of the [Turkish] government and intelligence.”

Varank also said it was inevitable that some powers would launch psychological warfare against the government and its intelligence service with the upcoming elections.

‘Israel ran Iran spy network from Turkey’

Ignatius said in his column that Israeli intelligence had run part of its Iranian spy network through Turkey, due to the fact that “it had a relatively easy movement back and forth across its border with Iran.”

Ignatius further claimed that the spy ring conflict may have been the reason behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to apologize following the Gaza flotilla incident, in which nine Turks were killed by Israeli forces.

Netanyahu maintained harsh rhetoric for months after the incident before finally apologizing to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a phone call in March.

The apology, however, failed to truly improve ties, Ignatius said.

The report contains further accusations against Fidan, some of which cite previous Washington Post stories, claiming the MİT chief passed Israeli and U.S. intelligence to Iranian recipients.

POLITICS - Turkey denies claims on disclosure of Israeli spies, intelligence chief

------------------------ End of Article ---------------------------

Could be true, could be false. There is no source, no evidence to back this accusation.

 

[iran socialist soldier]

Iranians are willing to sell their souls to get rid of the crazed Mullahs. I wouldn't be surprised if the news turned out to be true.


On other note, don't you think that Bibi is taking it too far these days?

Socialist revolution is is coming we will not forget the blood of our comrades who killed by IRGC in 1979 and 1982

 

[Yzd Khalifa]

Socialist revolution is is coming we will not forget the blood of our comrades who killed by IRGC in 1979 and 1982

Not just in 79 & 82 the IRGC killed several hundreds of Iranians in 2009.

 

[iran socialist soldier]

Not just in 79 & 82 the IRGC killed several hundreds of Iranians in 2009.

I was talking about the socialists who did the revolution it was the leftists and Tudeh party and the communist party then they hijacked the revolution from its real fathers and excuted them in cold blood