Iran has helped Hizbullah form an operational network for attacks on Western targets, officials said.The officials said the Hizbullah priority was to strike Israeli and U.S. interests in Turkey.
"Hizbullah established an operational cell in Istanbul that included members of Iran's IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]," an official said.
Officials said Hizbullah organized a safe house and formed a front company in Istanbul. They said IRGC helped Hizbullah set up a tourist agency that would enable Iranian agents to easily enter Turkey.
In mid-2009, officials said, Turkey foiled a Hizbullah strike on an Israeli target. Officials said the attack, aided by IRGC, was meant to have taken place in Istanbul and avenge the killing of Hizbullah operational chief Imad Mughniyeh in 2008. Hibzullah has blamed Israel for Mughniyeh's death in Damascus, Syria.
Officials did not report any arrests of Hizbullah suspects. The government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has sought to maintain close relations with neighboring Iran.
In November 2009, Turkey and the United States reviewed regional insurgency threats. FBI director Robert Mueller led a delegation which reviewed details obtained from suspected insurgents in Turkey.
"We believe Hizbullah still has a presence in Turkey, although we think the security agencies have driven many of the operatives out of the country," the official said.
Can anyone say Incirlik? On the day after Israel attacks Natanz, Bushehr, Arak et al?