Mossad spy agency says it captured man in Iran planning attack on Israelis in Cyprus

Alleged plot leader confesses to receiving detailed instructions from IRGC but it is not clear whether he spoke under duress

Israel is 'working without respite' to thwart Iranian attacks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. Reuters

Israel‘s Mossad intelligence service said it carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus.

“In a unique operation on Iranian soil, the Mossad captured the head of the cell, who, during an investigation, gave a detailed confession that led to the exposure and dismantlement of the terrorist cell behind the Cyprus attack,” Mossad said.

The spy agency did not say when the operation took place, where the suspect is now or when the Cyprus attack would have happened.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that an attack had been foiled but did not give details. Cyprus declined to comment at the time.

Mossad identified the suspect as Yousef Abbasalilu and said he “received detailed instructions and weapons from senior officials” in Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to carry out the attack.

There was no immediate comment from Iran.

Mr Netanyahu's office, which oversees Mossad, released a video that showed the suspect's confession.

He named his handler as Hassan Zadeh, a senior figure in the IRGC's Foreign Intelligence branch.

The suspect says he selected targets and took photos of their home in Cyprus but fled the Mediterranean island nation and returned to Iran after being alerted that police were looking for him.

It was not clear if the man spoke under duress.

“In the wake of the information that he gave to investigators, the cell was dismantled in an operation by the Cypriot security services,” Mossad said.

The plotters included Iranians, Pakistanis and locals, it said

Speaking at the Hatzerim Airbase in southern Israel on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu said Israel was “working without respite” to thwart attempts by Iran and its proxies to attack Israel, including “in neighbouring countries that are not in conflict with us”.

Israel considers Iran its greatest enemy, citing the Iranian government’s calls for Israel’s destruction and support for hostile militant groups.

It also accuses Iran of trying to develop a nuclear bomb – a claim that Iran denies.

Israel routinely strikes Iranian targets in neighbouring Syria and is believed to be behind a string of attacks on nuclear experts and centres inside Iran over the years.

Five years ago, Israel unveiled a vast collection of documents about Iran’s nuclear programme that it said Mossad had stolen from a warehouse in Iran.

“We will not accept Iran's intentions to develop a nuclear arsenal,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“We will maintain our right and our obligation to defend ourselves, with our own forces, against any threat whatsoever, throughout the Middle East.”