In brief
In East Jerusalem, seven residents were arrested for plotting to assassinate a senior scientist and a city mayor, allegedly on behalf of Iran, according to Israeli officials.
The Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday that they have apprehended seven individuals from an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem who were allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate a prominent Israeli scientist and the mayor of a major Israeli city. The police and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, stated that the suspects planned these attacks under the direction of Iranian operatives.The arrested group is said to be from Beit Safafa, a predominantly Palestinian area bordering the West Bank. According to the authorities, the suspects have not been indicted yet and their names remain undisclosed. Reports indicate that some members of the group had taken photographs of the scientist’s residence in preparation for the assassination and had considered blowing up a police vehicle and throwing grenades at designated properties as part of their plan, with a proposed payout of approximately $50,000 for their actions.The Israeli security forces provided scant information about the individuals involved, revealing that one suspect, a 23-year-old Israeli citizen, had recruited the others. They were allegedly instructed to carry out various tasks, including vandalizing property and gathering intelligence on their targets.This announcement follows the recent dismantling of a separate spy network comprising seven Jewish Israelis, who were also accused of providing intelligence to Iran. The timing of both revelations raises questions, especially as they come amid heightened tensions with Iran following a drone and missile strike against Israel on October 1. The ongoing conflict, which escalated in April, has its roots in decades of clandestine hostilities between Israel and Iran. The English-language arm of Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, has yet to respond to these allegations. Residents of East Jerusalem, a territory Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed, largely identify as Palestinians and seek its recognition as the capital of a future Palestinian state. The UN Security Council regards East Jerusalem as occupied territory.In addition to this incident, the police reported that, through a separate investigation involving various Israeli security agencies, a man was recently indicted for planning to attack a demonstration supporting hostages held in Gaza. Further details regarding this alleged plot were not provided.
