Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu was interviewed Thursday morning on Galei Tzahal (Army Radio), where he revealed details regarding Israel's operations in Iran during Operation "Rising Lion" and discussed what he suggested were current covert activities against the backdrop of Iran's internal unrest.
"When we attacked in Iran during 'Rising Lion' we were on its soil and knew how to lay the groundwork for a strike. I can assure you that we have some of our people operating there right now," Minister Eliyahu said, without specifying whether these were Mossad agents in the previous war.
He further addressed the internal situation in the Islamic Republic and the potential extent of Israeli involvement. "Are they now acting directly to topple the regime? No. Are they acting to ensure that Iran cannot threaten us from all other aspects? Yes."
Earlier this week, Minister Eliyahu also called for a crackdown on terror elements within the Bedouin diaspora (communities in the Negev). He noted that the issue is "no less dangerous than jihadist terror" and urged security forces to employ "the same measures operated against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists" against the rioters.
"In my military service I met quite a few Bedouins loyal to the state and its laws," Minister Eliyahu began. "But the terrorists among them endanger the State of Israel no less than the jihadists of Hamas. These are terrorists with a blue ID (Israeli citizenship), who hold stolen military weapons and spend their free time in the terror nests of Hebron, Ramallah and Nablus. From there they import women and radical ideological ideas."
