Iranian Assassination Plot Targeted Prominent Jewish Rabbi

Azerbaijani intelligence services have reportedly thwarted an Iranian-orchestrated plan to assassinate a prominent Rabbi in Baku, in what officials describe as a dangerous escalation in Tehran’s shadow war on Jewish and Western-affiliated figures abroad.

According to national security officials in Azerbaijan who spoke on condition of anonymity, a senior officer in Iran’s Quds Force met with a Georgian national last fall to arrange the murder of Rabbi Shneor Segal, a well-known figure in the local Jewish community. The alleged intermediary, Agil Aslanov, is believed to have agreed to the contract in exchange for $200,000.

The Washington Post first reported details of the plot, which also included plans to attack a Jewish educational center in the capital. The operation was disrupted in early January, when authorities arrested Aslanov and a local accomplice. Both suspects now face terrorism-related charges.

Azerbaijan’s State Security Service released a statement saying the pair had conducted surveillance on the rabbi and forwarded his home and workplace locations via a secure messaging app to a foreign intelligence handler.

Rabbi Segal confirmed he had heard of the assassination attempt from local media reports but expressed confidence in the country’s security: “We live here peacefully. I walk the streets without fear.”

This incident is the latest in a series of reported Iranian efforts to strike at Jewish targets overseas, often through hired criminals or proxy actors.

In 2023, Iranian-linked operatives were implicated in a shooting attack on Azerbaijani lawmaker Fazil Mustafa. Officials at the time blamed Tehran, citing Mustafa’s outspoken criticism of Iran’s interference in regional religious affairs. Five men were later convicted in that case on charges ranging from treason to attempted political assassination.

Authorities in Europe and Latin America have likewise reported Iranian plots involving organized crime groups. In the United States, a federal jury in New York recently convicted two men of conspiring to kill Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Prosecutors said the men had been promised $500,000 for the job.

The mounting incidents have intensified scrutiny of Iran’s global clandestine operations, particularly those targeting dissidents, activists, and religious leaders critical of the regime.