Turkey foils ‘Israeli’ plot similar to 2024 pager attacks: report
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Turkish intelligence (MIT) and Istanbul police arrested two suspects, including primary operative Mehmet Budak Derya, who had been recruited by ‘Israeli’ handlers in 2012 to collect intelligence on Palestinian targets and scout warehouses in Gaza, according to reports.
- The cell planned to use shell companies to infiltrate global supply chains—similar to the 2024 pager attacks—by procuring and repackaging technology like drone components and communication hardware to be delivered to targets selected by ‘Israeli’ intelligence.
Turkish authorities have dismantled an ‘Israeli’ intelligence cell accused of attempting to infiltrate global supply chains in a manner reminiscent of ‘Israel's’ 2024 operation against Hezbollah involving explosive pagers, according to reports on Turkish media and the London-based Middle East Eye.
In a joint operation conducted in January, Istanbul police and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) arrested two Turkish citizens suspected of espionage activities dating back to 2012.
The operation, codenamed "Monitum," targeted individuals who reportedly collected intelligence on Palestinian targets and planned to establish front companies for covert purposes.
The primary suspect, identified as Mehmet Budak Derya, a mining engineer and marble trader from Mersin, was initially contacted by ‘Israeli’ operatives in 2012 while attending a trade fair.
Posing as company executives, the handlers recruited Derya, who subsequently underwent polygraph tests in 2016 and August 2024 to verify his loyalty.
Derya expanded his operations by hiring Veysel Kerimoglu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, to forge business ties with Palestinians holding anti-‘Israeli’ views and gather sensitive information.
The cell's activities included scouting warehouses in Gaza, transmitting photographs to ‘Israeli’ intelligence, and attempting to export drone components, with initial samples allegedly provided directly by the handlers.
In January, Derya met with ‘Israeli’ contacts abroad to discuss establishing shell companies outside Turkey.
These entities were intended to procure products from designated countries, repackage them through intermediaries, and ship them to end users selected by ‘Israeli’ intelligence, thereby infiltrating supply chains without detection.
Turkish security sources said that the suspects purchased SIM cards, modems, and routers from various countries, sending detailed device information—including serial numbers, MAC addresses, and passwords—to their handlers via encrypted channels.
The arrests followed reports of the suspects being missing for three weeks, leading to their apprehension and the disruption of the planned front company network.
The Hezbollah Pager Operation
The operation bears striking similarities to ‘Israel's’ 2024 pager attacks on Hezbollah, which resulted in over 40 deaths and 1,500 injuries.
In that incident, Mossad reportedly used front companies and intermediaries to insert explosive devices into Hezbollah's communication supply chain, exploiting commercial devices to deliver rigged pagers manufactured under the guise of a Taiwanese firm.
Turkish officials described the Istanbul cell's strategy as a direct emulation, aimed at spying on and potentially sabotaging Palestinian interests through analogous supply chain manipulation.
