From Istanbul, Khalid Yusuf (Anadolu)

These allegations come amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran.

Israel's intelligence agencies Mossad and Shin Bet announced Thursday that they had thwarted what they described as an Iranian plot to bring foreign operatives into Israel to assassinate senior officials.

The Hebrew Channel 12 quoted the agencies as saying that investigations led them to accuse Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of being behind the plot, by recruiting elements from organized crime networks and foreign operatives.

According to the channel, Mossad said that a person named 'Thorot Ozkur', also known as 'Philip', was responsible for recruiting a team of foreign operatives and preparing them to infiltrate Israel, claiming he visited Iran several times and received money to carry out the mission, and met with officials in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence.

Meanwhile, Hebrew Channel 13 reported that 'Philip' was recruited by two individuals it said work for Iranian intelligence, namely Baba Mahmoudzadeh Haji Jafan, known as 'Babak', and Mohammad Nadim Yit, known as 'Nadim'.

The channel added that the two individuals are linked, according to Israeli claims, to drug trafficker Naji Sharifi Zandeshiti, whom Israel says Iranian intelligence has been using for years.

It said that international investigations revealed four officers in Iran's Ministry of Intelligence who recruited 'Babak' and 'Nadim', namely: 'Asadollah Behzad Ohsari, Vahid Masoumi, Mohammad Hossein Zoughi, and Hamid Ghasemi'.

No immediate comment from Iranian authorities on the Israeli allegations.

Tehran has not yet issued any official response to these allegations. Iran often denies involvement in such Israeli claims. Israel and Iran exchange repeated accusations of carrying out sabotage and assassination operations, increasing tensions in the region. This case is expected to lead to further escalation between the two countries.