Cyprus Police Confirm Mossad's Claims Regarding 'Islamic Republic's Plot to Assassinate Jews'

A senior Cypriot official reported that investigations by the police of this country confirm the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad)'s claims of a planned 'terrorist cell supported by the Islamic Republic' to kill Israelis and other Jews in Cyprus. This intelligence official told the Associated Press that the Cypriot police tracked an Iranian national named Youssef Shahbazi Abbasali-Lou after consulting with 'the intelligence agencies of allied countries.' The official, who requested anonymity, stated that subsequent investigations into this individual's activities revealed a plot for such assassinations, with at least one person on the hit list. According to this official, Abbasali-Lou initially attempted to establish a base in Northern Cyprus and recruit others. International officials do not have access to this part of Cyprus. The intelligence official noted that the fact that the north is separated is concerning for both domestic and foreign security services, as it is not part of the international legal order. Cypriot authorities were searching for Abbasali-Lou in the southern part of the island, where he moved north via a route along the 180-kilometer (120-mile) UN-controlled area. Turkish Cypriot officials then identified him as 'a potential security threat' and deported him to Iran. This is the first time a Cypriot security official has spoken about this case. The Israeli intelligence and special operations agency, Mossad, released a video on Thursday, July 8, featuring the confessions of an individual identified as Youssef Shahbazi Abbasali-Lou, who stated that he was acting as an agent of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seeking to plot the assassination of Israeli citizens in Cyprus. Mossad claimed that senior IRGC officials provided weapons and instructions for attacks on Israeli traders in Cyprus to Youssef Shahbazi Abbasali-Lou. Mossad stated that its operatives inside Iran arrested this individual and recorded his confession video. Discussions with Babak Taghvaei regarding the details of the thwarted terrorist operation in Cyprus revealed that Cyprus thwarted a planned attack by IRGC-linked operatives against Israelis. Mossad obtained confessions from 'Youssef Shahbazi Abbasali-Lou' regarding the 'assassination plot against Israelis.' Cyprus thwarted the attack by IRGC-linked operatives against 'Jews and Israelis.' Netanyahu welcomed the thwarting of the 'Islamic Republic's terrorist attack' against Israelis in Cyprus.