"Anyone targeting Israelis aboard will pay a price," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Sunday as more details emerged on the threat Israelis face from Iranian agents in Turkey.
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Last week, the National Security Council's Counterterrorism Bureau raised its travel warning for Istanbul to the highest level possible. The Level 4 travel advisory stipulates that Israelis should not travel to Istanbul, and any Israelis currently there should leave immediately.
Speaking at Sunday's cabinet meeting, Bennett said, "We are witnessing Iranian attempts to harm Israelis overseas. Israel's defense establishment is working to stop terrorist attacks before they can be carried out. We will continue to target those who send terrorists and those behind them, as well.
"We have a new rule – if you send them [terrorists] you will pay for it," the prime minister stressed.
The remark alluded to Hossein Taib, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' intelligence unit, who Israel believes is the mastermind behind the current plot to abduct or kill Israelis on Turkish soil.
Compliance with the travel advisory warning against unnecessary travel to Turkey has been partial, and Bennett urged Israelis "to refrain from traveling to Turkey, particularly Istanbul unless it is absolutely necessary. The threat there is still substantial. I call on Israelis to demonstrate personal responsibility and keep safe."
Defense Minister Benny Gantz over the weekend urged Israeli nationals visiting Turkey to follow the recommendations issued by the ministry to minimize risk amid the threat of an Iranian attack.
Gantz said Israel obtained intelligence that several Iranian terrorist squads were actively trying to "hunt Israelis" through social media or identify them at major tourist sites in Istanbul to abduct or kill them.
Turning his attention to the tensions with Gaza, Bennett said that "on Friday, we destroyed weapon mills and several other targets in Gaza in response to the fire of a single rocket, which was downed by Iron Dome.
"When the government was formed, we changed our policy towards Hamas, on several fronts. We also changed our approach to the residents of the Gaza Strip. This element constitutes a significant restraint and also creates a distinction between Hamas and the residents.
He added: "We insist on complete peace and quiet for the residents of Ashkelon, Sderot and the Gaza-vicinity communities. Our goal it to see the residents of the south live a quiet life while preventing a renewed Hamas intensification.
"In the past, they [previous governments] would buy into temporary lulls but they would pay with it [Hamas] growing stronger. [Hamas'] intensification is very slow, the slowest in years, but that's because we are closing the possibility of introducing weapons through Rafah, in cooperation with Egypt and the United States."
"We will react forcibly against any attempt to disrupt this quiet. The price we will exact from the enemy for any action against our civilians will be high and painful," he reiterated.
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