Turkey detains 33 accused of spying for 'Israel'
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Turkish authorities arrest 33 individuals on suspicion of espionage for the Israeli Mossad intelligence service, as reported by Turkish media.
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Riot police officers stand in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP)
On Tuesday, Turkey arrested 33 individuals believed to be involved in espionage for the Israeli Mossad intelligence service. Turkish media reported the arrests without disclosing the nationalities of those apprehended.
The suspects were captured in operations across eight provinces surrounding Istanbul, as per reports from the private DHA and state-run Anadolu news agencies. It was indicated that their tasks encompassed activities such as abductions and reconnaissance work.
The Turkish security services are actively searching for an additional 13 suspects accused of participating in "international espionage" on behalf of "Israel", as reported. Hence, the relationship between Turkey and "Israel" significantly deteriorated following the onset of the war on Gaza.
Erdogan's eyes on Netanyahu
On that note, it is worth highlighting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comparing him to Adolf Hitler last week.
Before Erdogan's comparative statement, he implied on December 19 that the bloodshed in Gaza would end solely on the condition that Netanyahu be removed from office. "Those who do not listen to us or do not believe us when we say that Netanyahu will be out will see his exit. But his leaving office will not save him. We will persecute him legally … I hope that Israel's cabinet reshuffle will put an end to this bloodshed," Erdogan told reporters.
Additionally, Erdogan has summoned Ankara's ambassador back from 'Tel Aviv' and called for Israeli military commanders and political figures to face trial for "war crimes" at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The war in Gaza marked the conclusion of a tentative improvement in Turkish-Israeli relations, which had been stagnant for the majority of the previous decade.
