Iran's Revolutionary Guards attempted to orchestrate the kidnapping of an Israeli journalist working for the opposition network Iran International, according to a report published Saturday by the Iranian opposition news site IranWire.
The target was Babak Yitzhaki, an Israeli television journalist of Iranian descent who reports for Iran International. The plot involved using Mohammad Hashemzadeh, a former political prisoner currently held in Armenia, to persuade Yitzhaki and another journalist to travel to Van, Turkey. From there, the Revolutionary Guards planned to transport them to Tehran.
The plan ultimately failed when Hashemzadeh and his cellmate, who had connections to Yitzhaki, refused to participate in the scheme.
"Iran International is the free voice of independent news in Iran," Yitzhaki told Kan News in response to the revelation. "For more than seven years, my colleagues and I have been reporting the truth about what happens in Israel to the Iranian people, without censorship. Naturally, this greatly angers the Iranian regime, which doesn't want the people to know the truth."
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Tehran and dissident journalists working abroad. Yitzhaki, who emphasized his status as an Israeli citizen, expressed confidence in Israeli security agencies' ability to protect both him and press freedom in the country.
"Neither threats nor acts of terrorism will stop our exposure of the truth," Yitzhaki stated. "Threats against me are threats against all journalists who advocate for free press, and I expect all journalism organizations to issue condemnations of the attacks and threats by the regime in Iran against journalists."
Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.
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