Iran rejects Israeli charges of attacks in Turkey

• Iran dismisses as “ridiculous” claims made by Israel’s foreign minister that Iran was planning attacks in Turkey.
• Foreign ministry spokesman says baseless allegations are part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations.
• Tensions have ratcheted up after a string of high-profile incidents that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

Iran dismissed as “ridiculous” claims made by Israel’s foreign minister during a visit to Ankara on Friday that the Islamic republic was planning anti-Israeli attacks in Turkey.

“The baseless allegations… are ridiculous and part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

“It is expected from Turkey not to remain silent in the face of these divisive allegations,” he said.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday thanked Turkey for thwarting an alleged Iranian assassination plot against its tourists in Istanbul.

“We’re not only talking about the murder of innocent Israeli tourists but also a clear violation of Turkish sovereignty by Iranian terror,” Lapid said.

Media outlets in Turkey have reported the arrest of eight people allegedly working for an Iranian intelligence cell that planned to kill Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a years-long shadow war but tensions have ratcheted up following a string of high-profile incidents that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The Islamic republic has pointed at Israel for the killing of Revolutionary Guards Colonel Sayyad Khodai at his Tehran home on May 22.

Two other senior Guard members have also died — one in a reported accident and the other in a shooting — in the past month.

The Revolutionary Guard, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, said Thursday it was replacing its veteran intelligence chief.

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Khatibzadeh stressed that Iran would respond forcefully to “assassinations and acts of sabotage by the Zionist regime” but “without threatening the security of civilians and the security of other countries”.

Last week, Israel urged its citizens to leave Turkey due to the “real and immediate danger” posed by Iranian operatives.

It has maintained the highest level of travel warning for Istanbul while downgrading the rest of Turkey to the second-highest level.