(JNS) Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was scheduled to visit Turkey on Monday, according to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Amir-Abdollahian’s visit comes on the heels of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit to the country last week, to thank Turkish authorities for their cooperation in helping Israeli security forces prevent Iranian attacks on Israeli citizens. Following a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Lapid warned Israel would not “sit idly by” regarding Iranian threats to Israeli nationals.
On June 17, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) arrested a number of Iranian operatives and local collaborators who were planning to kidnap and attack Israeli diplomats and tourists in Istanbul, Hurriyet Daily News reported on Friday.
MIT and Turkish police were acting on intelligence from Israel, according to the report.
On June 23, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, dismissed the head of IRGC intelligence, Hossein Taeb, according to Iran’s MEHR news agency.
Taib is to be replaced in the role by Brig. Gen. Mohammad Kazemi, formerly the head of the IRGC’s counter-intelligence agency, according to the report.
