The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) planned to assassinate an Israeli Consulate employee in Turkey, a senior American General in Germany and a journalist in France, reported the Iran International news agency.
By Erin Viner
Israeli sources have reportedly confirmed that its Mossad intelligence agency recently thwarted the attempts.
Iran International is a Farsi (Persian) language television network based in the United Kingdom opposed to the Ayatollah regime. According to the report, the IRGC hitman belongs to Unit 840 of the elite Quds Force that executes clandestine extraterritorial operations against Western and Iranian opposition targets.
Following his detainment in an unspecified European nation, Iran International cited diplomatic sources as saying that the operative confessed to being “commissioned” to carry out the assassinations after receiving a $150,000 (about €142,500) down payment, and was to be given an additional $1 million (€949,977) after commission of the murders.
Israeli media claimed that the Mossad had captured and interrogated the would-be assassin at his home in Iran, identifying him as Mansour Rasouli. Television networks broadcast an unsourced audio recording purporting to be the 52-year-old IRGC agent admitting that, “We will assassinate these three for the Islamic Republic. They insisted this would be carried out.”
Channel 12 television channel reported that the Israel Security Agency (ISA, also known as the Shin Bet) participated in the mission to question the suspect, who was later released after vowing, “I made a mistake, from here on out I won’t take any move regarding this, I swear.”
Citing Jerusalem officials, the Israeli Walla news site said the incident occurred sometime in 2021.
Revelation of the attempted-assassinations comes amid Israeli pressure on the United States to not capitulate to Iran’s demand to de-list the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in exchange for reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement.
Israeli government officials have so far refused to comment on the reports.