33 individuals have now reportedly been apprehended by Turkish security forces on suspicion of espionage on behalf of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency.
This occurred one month after Ankara issued a warning that it would retaliate against any attempt to assassinate Hamas members on Turkish soil.
The suspects are allegedly plotting an assault or abduction of foreign nationals residing in Turkey, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, which did not specify the possible targets. It added that thirteen additional suspects remain at large.
Hamas is not considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, and several of its leaders, such as Ismail Haniyeh, have been observed to frequent and reside in Istanbul.
This, coupled with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s criticism of Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza as a retaliatory measure against Hamas’s attacks on October 7, has impeded the progress of a tentative reconciliation between the two nations.
Israel was cautioned by Ankara in December not to attempt to assassinate Hamas members in Turkey, in light of rumors that the organization’s leaders would be targeted overseas.
[READ MORE: Facebook Moves to Ban Popular Conservative Activist ‘Libs of Tik Tok’]
