Top Israeli intelligence official dead in Italy: Israeli media
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Israeli media reports that a top Israeli intelligence official was killed after a tourist boat capsized in Italy.
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In this image released by the Italian firefighters, a helicopter searches for missing passengers after a tourist boat capsized in a storm on Italy's Lago Maggiore in the northern Lombardy region, May 28, 2023 (AP)
An Israeli settler killed along with three other tourists in a tourist boat that capsized in Italy on Sunday was a retired Israeli intelligence officer, Israeli media said Monday, reporting that a publication ban was imposed on revealing his name.
The person killed in a tourist boat capsized in Italy is a former Israeli intelligence official whose name and photo are prohibited from being published, in accordance with Israeli security protocols, Israeli media said.
Israeli Channel 12 described the incident of the capsized boat carrying Italian and Israeli tourists and the death of former security officials as a "seemingly mysterious" event.
Channel 12's reporter said the Israeli casualty was a "recently discharged officer", and it is said that "the Italian casualties were also Italian intelligence agents."
Military commentator Nir Dvori reported that "the Italian government quickly announced that the incident was due to weather conditions and a malfunction in the boat rather than a result of sabotage."
He also mentioned that "the Israeli who was present was celebrating a birthday with his Italian friends who are retired Italian intelligence officers. The Israeli knew them due to his previous post as a security official. They were all together when the incident occurred, and four of them were killed."
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced Monday that an Israeli man was among four people killed when a boat carrying tourists capsized in Lake Maggiore, Italy, as strong winds took the area by storm.
The ministry stated that "the man's family, who is approximately 50 years old, was informed about the death, while his identity is yet to be publicly disclosed."
A boat capsized Sunday off the coast of Lisanza, in the southern part of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, as the weather suddenly turned stormy. The Italian firefighting brigade reported that four bodies were recovered, according to Luca Cari, spokesperson for the firefighting teams.
Italian news outlet Varese News revealed that two of the victims were Italians, a man and a woman, while the fourth victim was identified as Russian.
Israeli authorities impose restrictions on disclosing the identities or photographs of present or former officers, security personnel, intelligence agents, or Mossad spies, even if they are retired. They carefully evaluate the associated risks before revealing their images or identities.
Such scrutiny is often exercised due to the potential risk of exposing Israeli security operations or compromising the safety of the individuals involved. The disclosure of identities or images could lead to legal repercussions in certain countries or jeopardize covert operations, as witnessed in assassination incidents in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, and other European countries in the past.
