Iran had planned the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the director of Shin Bet, using an Israeli businessman, according to an announcement made today by the Israeli internal security agency.

According to Shin Bet, Iran’s efforts to kill one of the three targets intensified after the assassination of Haniya in Tehran.

The Iranian plan, according to the Israeli security agency, involved using an Israeli businessman who had spent a considerable amount of time living in Turkey and had business dealings with both Turks and Iranians to carry out the assassination plans in Israel.

The First Trip to Iran

In April, two Turks, Andrei Farouk Aslan and Guneid Aslan, reportedly contacted the Israeli businessman and invited him to their country to meet a wealthy Iranian named Edi. The meeting took place in May.

However, when the two Turks told the Israeli businessman that Edi could not travel from Iran to Turkey, he agreed to be smuggled by car from Turkey to Iran, where he met Edi and a member of the Iranian security services.

Reports indicate that the Israeli businessman initially asked for one million dollars before undertaking any activity.

The Second Trip to Iran

A second visit by the Israeli businessman to Iran followed in August, during which he reportedly received 5,000 euros as an advance to begin preparations for the plan.

On this trip, the unnamed businessman was again smuggled from Turkey to Iran, this time by truck, where he met with Edi and other Iranian security officials.

During this meeting, he was reportedly asked to record video footage of locations in Israel, gather information, and threaten Israelis whom Iran had already approached but who had not responded to Tehran’s instructions.

In the same meeting, the Israeli businessman was allegedly asked if he could recruit Russians and Americans to assassinate Iranian dissidents in Europe and the United States.

Charges were filed against the businessman on Thursday.