Despite Its Scandals and Exposed Cells, Why Does Mossad Persist in Espionage Activities in Turkiye?

The competition between Turkiye and “Israel” has impacted their intelligence systems. Both the Turkish intelligence agency and “Israel Mossad” are searching for each other’s weaknesses, despite having maintained good relations in previous decades.

Since Hakan Fidan took charge of Turkiye’s intelligence in 2010, “Israel” has repeatedly expressed reluctance to have him in such a sensitive position. For example, in 2022, Maariv newspaper, known for its proximity to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, compared Fidan to Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force.

Recently, there have been discussions about a new intelligence operation between the Turkish and Israeli agencies amid their ongoing normalization efforts over the past two years.

 

New Operations

During recent operations, Turkiye disclosed dismantling a Mossad spy cell in Istanbul. This cell targeted Arab institutions and Arab dissidents residing in the city, collecting information and penetrating their phones.

While the cell’s focus was primarily on spying on Arab and Palestinian dissidents in Istanbul, similar cells, eliminated over the past two years, were found to include individuals of various Arab nationalities and even Iranians throughout the country.

On July 3, 2023, Sabah, a Turkish newspaper close to the government, revealed a successful intelligence operation resulting in the arrest of seven spies working for Mossad.

The newspaper published details and pictures of the spies, who were Turkish and Arab citizens residing in Turkiye. They received instructions from abroad and underwent online training by Mossad officials.

The spies collected information on foreigners residing in the country, tracked their vehicles, identified the internet devices they used, and cracked the codes for these devices. They also physically monitored certain individuals, took photos of them during private meetings, and monitored their activities.

Over months, Turkiye’s intelligence counter-espionage units meticulously tracked the spies, carefully selecting them and ensuring they underwent training outside Turkiye.

All seven spies confessed to working for Mossad, and security authorities suspect they are connected to nine cells consisting of 56 individuals.

 

The Mossad Is Actively Monitoring Arabs

Information from the Turkish media reveals that a 24-year-old individual named Priyanshi Patel Kulhari, based in Tel Aviv, is running a spying company called “Cyber Intelligence International Private Ltd” with constant communication with a spy network in Istanbul.

Kulhari himself devised methods to infiltrate the targeted individuals’ phones with spy software and publish news links to entice the targeted person to click.

The Mossad has developed highly sophisticated techniques to prevent its network of agents from being exposed by Turkish intelligence.

In one of its operations, Mossad tasked Mohammed Filli and Abdullah Fellaha, both from Aleppo, with planning to search the office of Hisham Younis Yahya Qafisheh, the CEO of Trend GYO company, in Istanbul, stealing his phone, a computer, and documents from a residence in the Basaksehir area.

Filli and Fellaha were also tasked with monitoring an Egyptian journalist, an Egyptian doctor in the Fatih district, and an Egyptian worker at a currency exchange center.

The Mossad has been monitoring the White Hands Association and its activities, although the newspaper did not reveal whether Filli and Fellaha were arrested or not.

Mossad operates remote operations from Tel Aviv through multiple teams, gathering personal information and tracking locations and online addresses through technical surveillance. They have established numerous electronic news websites in various languages, primarily Arabic.

Nine different Mossad officials manage these cells, forming an extensive intelligence network to work effectively on an international level.

 

The Process

The espionage process consists of five stages, and once the spies reach the fifth stage, they are sent abroad for professional training in espionage.

Turkish intelligence confirmed that some of the spies in Istanbul were sent to monitor Lebanese and Syrian individuals in the Haret Hreik area in Beirut, Lebanon.

They were tasked with identifying the coordinates of a building belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the identities of officials, and activities conducted on the third floor, along with similar international activities.

One of the nine Mossad cell leaders, known as Abdulla Qassem, residing in “Israel” with an undisclosed real name, asked Zeyd Saadeddin, who posed as a Jordanian businessman residing in Sweden, to provide a detailed study and pictures of an important strategic building in the Qudsaya district of Damascus, Syria, without revealing the fate of the agent.

The Mossad concealed the Turkish spies’ movements through tourist trips consisting of three stages: Serbia, Dubai, and finally Bangkok, Thailand, where visas were not required for these countries.

In Bangkok, there is a secret Mossad training center where Okan Albayrak, a wanted Turkish fugitive, was trained in report writing, surveillance, evading intelligence surveillance, converting images to files, tracking vehicles, technical monitoring, and analysis.

The Mossad assigned spies of Arab origin to collect information about Lebanon and Syria and to identify Turkish drone operation sites.

The spies were selected through fake monitoring operations, tasked with photographing mosques, churches, and archaeological sites, evaluating their performance, and then elevating them to a higher level.

Communication operations were conducted using phone lines belonging to countries like Spain, England, Germany, Sweden, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Belgium, with fake names and internet lines used only once.

Turkish intelligence meticulously monitored the spies, employing advanced operations, especially with their training in evading surveillance and surveillance, and conducted numerous security operations in Istanbul.

 

Previous Operations

Turkish media previously revealed in December 2022 another Mossad cell in Istanbul, consisting of 44 suspects, by the security forces.

This cell was monitoring the activities of Palestinian non-governmental individuals and organizations in Turkiye, operating under the guise of a consulting services company.

In October 2021, Turkish intelligence arrested 15 suspects for spying and working for Mossad.

Turkish intelligence conducted a year-long covert surveillance operation on these suspects, who were gathering information about high-achieving Turkish and foreign students.

The espionage operation also involved providing Mossad with information about the facilities Turkiye offers to Palestinian opposition members and how these students access Turkish universities.

Regarding the recurring nature of these operations, Palestinian journalist Mohammed Abu Taqiya, based in Turkiye, stated that “Israel has been conducting bloody operations since its establishment, and the Israeli army, composed of gangs, established the Israeli intelligence network.”

He further added that “all espionage activities in Turkiye are supported by the West, with spies receiving financial and educational support from Western countries.

“The West also remained silent when Israel was founded. It is an international and diplomatic crime for Mossad to engage in spying activities in Turkiye, as it constitutes a direct targeting of Turkiye’s sovereignty and stability.”

Abu Taqiya emphasized: “Israel shows no shame in its actions and continues to act boldly. We must commend the Turkish intelligence, as in recent years, they have executed numerous operations against Mossad and arrested several of its cells.”

He pointed out that by preserving Turkiye’s sovereignty, Turkish intelligence sends a message to “Israel,” which essentially translates to “you cannot approach this territory.”

Abu Taqiyah clarified that Israel responded audaciously to this message, claiming that it does not want Palestinians to receive support in Turkey and that it is making efforts to prevent the existence of supportive organizations for Palestinians.