Israel on Thursday warned of an increased threat against its citizens abroad following Iran’s call to avenge last week’s assassination of its top nuclear scientist.
The death of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, killed in a bomb and gun attack on a major road outside of Tehran on Friday last week, has been blamed in part on Israel’s Mossad spy agency by the Islamic republic.
“In light of recent threats from Iranian elements ... we fear that Iran may attack Israeli targets,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
It warned of possible attacks against its nationals in Africa and in countries geographically close to Iran, citing Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the Kurdish region of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
The Israeli National Security Council, citing attacks already carried out in France, Germany and Austria, said that global jihad organizations, especially the Islamic State group, “are demonstrating high motivation to carry out terrorist attacks.”
“It is possible that part of the current wave of Islamist terrorism will reach targets identified with Israel or Jewish communities, synagogues, kosher restaurants and Jewish museums,” it said, urging travelers to check for any warnings regarding their destination.
Bahrain and the UAE in September normalized ties with Israel, and commercial air links were established between Dubai and Tel Aviv late last month.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabi Ashkenazi had been due to visit Bahrain at the weekend for a regional conference, but diplomatic sources told reporters that his trip was canceled after Iran blamed Israel for Fakhrizadeh’s assassination and threatened retaliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Iran of having taken advantage of its international nuclear deal — which allowed economic sanctions to be lifted, before they were reinstated and toughened by US President Donald Trump — to “extend” its influence in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.”
The nuclear deal let the “tiger” out of its cage, Netanyahu said during an online discussion with the Washington-based Hudson Center for Analysis.
US president-elect Joe Biden has signaled his intention to resume dialogue with Iran.
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday called on Biden to once again lift the sanctions against his country, while excluding any renegotiation of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday last week accused Israel of acting as Washington’s mercenary, blaming the Jewish state for the killing of the nuclear scientist.
However, Rouhani said that his country would seek its revenge in “due time” and not be rushed into a “trap,” with less than two months to go before the Trump administration leaves office.
On Monday, Iran’s top security official, Rear-Admiral Ali Shamkhani, said that “the Zionist regime and the Mossad” were involved in the scientist’s killing, referring to the Israeli government and its spy agency.
Shamkhani also said that exiled opposition group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran was involved, in a complex operation that used electronic equipment “with no one present at the scene.”
Officials in Israel have declined to comment on the attack.
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