Iran is actively recruiting terror cells inside Israel in order to conduct retaliatory attacks at a time of its choosing, security officials have disclosed to The National.
Concerns that Tehran has been involved in recruiting Israelis, either Arab or Jewish, to conduct atrocities inside the country have been growing as the conflict intensifies.
Seven Israeli Jews originally from Azerbaijan were arrested in Haifa last month having allegedly assisted Iran in conducting 600 missions inside Israel.
Shin Bet, the country’s internal security service, has also made several other arrests of Israeli passport holders in recent weeks, The National has been told.
There’s a realistic possibility that Israeli Arabs are being recruited
Israeli security source
“There’s a realistic possibility that Israeli Arabs are being recruited,” an Israeli security source said. “But the speed of the recent arrests indicates that Shin Bet had a very good grip on this.”
There are also reports that Israel’s air strikes on Saturday could have knocked out Iran’s ability to produce missiles for up to a year, making it more likely that Tehran will intensify its war by a proxy campaign.
But Dr Jonathan Spyer, director of the Middle East Forum think tank in Jerusalem, said Iran is actively recruiting cells as a means of hitting Israel if another air strike is launched on the country.
“There are these rings of people working for Iran within Israel who were recruited directly by Iran and that suggests Tehran is trying very hard to develop a capacity within Israel which they can switch on and switch off at will,” Dr Spyer said.
Intelligence analysts at the leading geopolitical firm Sibylline believe that Iran could use its Israeli sources to conduct an assassination campaign “of high-profile individuals”.
“However, Iran's capacity to effectively execute these efforts remains limited, particularly given the Israeli security forces' comparatively superior capacity,” said Megan Sutcliffe, Sibylline’s Middle East expert.
Ms Sutcliffe added that Iran would also look to develop its “proxy activity” by developing new recruits in “nascent environments”.
Iran is also working hard to “empower various groups” in the occupied West Bank, said Dr Spyer.
He added that with up to 20 Israelis killed in the last week, some by Hezbollah and others in likely terror attacks including a lorry ramming on Sunday, it seems that Iran’s strategy “is by no means a failure, even if they haven't got air defences that can withstand Israeli air power”.
Missile programme delay
Iran’s terror plans could intensify after Saturday’s air strike led to the destruction of targets at its secret Parchin missile production complex.
It is understood that the Israeli air force struck at least 12 “planetary mixers” that make solid fuel for its long-range ballistic missiles.
Israeli and US officials told the Axios website that the strike had “crippled Iran’s missile production capability” as the mixers could not be made by Iran but had to be imported from China.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that “Iran will likely need months or possible a year or more to acquire new mixing equipment”.
Ms Sutcliffe also suggested that the strikes could damage Iran economically as it might lose its sales of missiles to Russia.
The destruction could also mean that Iran will be unable to launch major missile attacks on Israel, similar to the one on October 1 that led to the weekend’s retaliatory strikes.
Gloves off with Trump
Another major impact on the region could come if Donald Trump is elected as America’s next president, with “all options open” including Israeli strikes on nuclear sites, said Dr Spyer.
“People will be watching very carefully as to who gets elected in a week's time, and the equation could change depending on who gets elected,” he added.
If Kamala Harris wins then the status quo will remain with America “absolutely not wanting to have a confrontation with Iran”.
A western security source agreed that the “gloves are very much on under Biden” but under Mr Trump there could rapidly be further Israeli action against Iran “to demonstrate intent”.
Senior Israeli government figures believe that keeping direct operations below a certain threshold plays into the regime’s hands.
“I very much doubt that Israel will now adopt a pattern of behaviour designed to avoid upsetting the Iranians,” said Dr Spyer. “Therefore if Trump is elected then all options will become open, or at least the option of very significant change will come on to the agenda.”
Ms Sutcliffe predicted that Mr Trump would be “more lenient” in pressuring Israel to moderate its direct strikes on Iran, including its nuclear sites. But he would be unlikely to commit US forces given his opposition to foreign campaigns.
“However, if Iran crossed clear red lines, for example conducting direct attacks on US military personnel in the region, then US participation would become more likely,” she added.
If as expected, Iran sends its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps officers into Lebanon and they are assassinated by Israel, another spiral of retaliation is likely to commence, as Tehran will want to revert to its policy of “bleeding Israel slowly”, Dr Spyer said.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
