The Mossad and Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) on Thursday announced that they had busted a global Iranian terror network using a new proxy-by-proxy tactic.
According to a statement by the agencies, until recently, Iranian terror masterminds would try to directly recruit foreigners to perpetrate terror against Israel or Jews worldwide.
Using the new tactic, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry is trying to better cover its tracks by using a middle-man to do the recruiting, to avoid backlash directly on Tehran.
There was a hope that some of those foreigners recruited might be able to get into Israel more easily to carry out terror attacks and assassinations.
Four Iranian Intelligence ministry officials which the statement listed off as involved in efforts in recent years were Adala Bahazada Uhsari, Vahid Maatzumi, Mahmoud-Hussein Duki, and Hamid Qasami.
These four individually and collectively worked on recruiting middle-men, which in the specific case highlighted on Thursday included Baback and Nadim.
French Iran operative discovered, deported
Baback and Nadim were then used to recruit French-Muslim citizen Tarout Ozokor, who took on the name "Philip," who would put together his own operational terror cell.
Philip's role was discovered and he was deported from France.
Uhsari was assassinated by Israel during the early 2026 war with Iran.
Baback, Nadim and the others continue to try to promote Iran's terror schemes.
The Mossad and the Shin Bet said that negligence by various officials in the chain of terror have time after time helped them and international partners to uncover Iran's fingerprints in the network, despite Tehran's efforts to distance itself.
It was unclear why the announcement was being made now, although Israel is trying to rally support against Iran.
In April, the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the IDF made an unusual joint announcement about exposing a worldwide Iranian terror network that targeted Israeli officials and assets around the world.
Israeli kills top IRGC intelligence leaders during Israel-US war on Iran
Top Iranian leaders of the network from Unit 4000 of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence were killed during the recent Israeli-US war against Iran.
In early March, Azerbaijan had announced that it foiled a series of planned Iranian terror attacks on its territory, such as against Israel's embassy in Baku, a synagogue, and against local Jewish leaders.
It was unclear why the agencies published their joint statement around six weeks after that disclosure.
However, with the Israel-Iran war over at the time, it appeared to be an opportunity for a "victory lap" by the Israeli defense establishment, especially because its achievements this time were unique.
If, in the past, the Mossad and Shin Bet have helped foreign countries like Azerbaijan and others to foil Iranian terror plots, this time the plots of the rank and file terrorists were being thwarted at the same time as their top managers in Iran were being killed by the Israeli air force during the war.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in April announced that terrorists, mostly or all with Iranian backing, have targeted over 30 Israeli embassies since October 7, 2023.
In September 2024, The Jerusalem Post reported exclusively that the volume of global terror attacks planned by Iran against Jews and Israelis in foreign countries since October 7, 2023, and prevented by the Mossad, has at least doubled compared to the prior year, reaching more than 50 such attempted attacks worldwide.
The numbers provided by Sa'ar in April are specifically embassy or diplomat-related attacks, meaning that the total number of attempted attacks in the last year probably far exceeds 30 and possibly even the high of 50 in September 2024.