Israeli Mossad agents claimed they conducted an operation inside Iran to capture the suspected leader directing an alleged Iranian plot to attack Israelis in Cyprus.
Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, in a statement on June 29 identified the suspect as Youssef Shahbazi Abbasalilu and alleged that he had "received detailed instructions and weapons from senior officials [of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)]."
Mossad published a video of what it said was an interrogation of the suspect.
In the video, the man -- who speaks Persian with an Azeri accent -- says he was commissioned by his superior to identify Israeli and Jewish targets in Cyprus and to attack them. Mossad identified the superior as a senior IRGC leader.
He also said he surveilled the target and took photos of the person’s home in Cyprus but that he fled the island and returned to Iran after being alerted that police were searching for him.
He said he had worked with Iranians, Pakistanis, and Cypriots in the operation.
It was not immediately clear from the video if the suspect was speaking under duress.
Mossad did not say when its operation took place or provide more details on the alleged planned attack in Cyprus.
Israeli officials said the suspected attacker was operating from northern Cyprus, a statelet that is recognized only by Turkey and divides the Mediterranean island.
Iran did not immediately comment on the report.
EU-member Cyprus also has not responded to the reports from Israel, but a senior official told reporters that the EU island nation would not tolerate any terrorist acts on its territory.
Iran and Israel are bitter enemies, and Tehran has vowed the destruction of the Jewish state.
The United States and others in the West have accused Iran of supporting extremist activity in the region, charges Tehran has denied.