Israel's secretive, elite military unit, the Sayeret Matkal, is actively executing operations on Turkish soil, according to reports. The Times of Israel reported that active plots existed in Turkey to target Jewish schools and synagogues, prompting a warning from the Israeli government to its citizens that evacuating the country would be prudent.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no stranger to the Sayeret Matkal, as he himself served, with many experts believing that his service in the unit was directly behind his rise to power. The BBC reported that Mr. Netanyahu was involved in a 1968 raid on Beirut's airport, making him more likely to order operations abroad than his predecessors, as was the case with the rash of assassinations which plagued Iranian nuclear scientists before the Washington-Tehran rapprochement.
In August of last year, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told the large-circulation German magazine Der Spiegel that Israel bore no responsibility "for the life expectancy of Iranian scientists," highlighting the attitude of the Netanyahu government.
Just this week, Israel instructed all of its citizens to leave Turkey, while keeping completely quiet as to the specific threat prompting the evacuation. Although the Turkish and Israeli government remain completely silent as to the specific threat, an intelligence source with Sky News said that "terrorists are plotting to attack a synagogue which also doubles as a
school and community center in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul."
Just last month, the large-circulation Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Russia was dissatisfied with "Israel's pending rapprochement agreement with Turkey" due not just to future energy agreements, but also because of a possible upending of military alliances in the region.
It's quite interesting that just a month before Haaretz' article, The Times of Israel reported that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked called for the creation of a Kurdish state, saying that it was time for Israel to help in the birth of Turkey's worst nightmare. If Israel starts supporting the creation of an independent Kurdistan, it will threaten to destroy everything Turkish President Recep Erdogan has fought to prevent.
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| Sayeret Matkal to begin killing in Turkey? © Abreu Report |
The Islamic State may or may not be plotting a major attack against Israeli targets in Turkey, but this is most likely an attempt by President Erdogan, whose very same regime has grown extremely wealthy from smuggling blood oil, to end any Israeli overtures in Kurdish territory.
According to a source, this rapprochement is nearly complete, and members of the Sayeret Matkal are now busily protecting synagogues in Turkey, with the knowledge of the MIT, Turkey's intelligence agency.
If there is indeed an Islamic State attack against Israeli interests in Turkey, we may yet see the first instance of the Sayeret Matkal killing on Turkish soil with the tacit approval of Ankara.
