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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran attempted to target embassies in Africa in revenge attacks - report
2021-02-15
[Jerusalem Post] A spokeswoman for the Iranian Embassy in Addis Ababa denied the report, calling it "baseless allegations...provoked by the Zionist regime’s malicious media."

An attempt to target the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia earlier this month may have been part of a larger plot by Iran to target Israeli, American and Emirati embassies in Africa, according to The New York Times.

The official Ethiopian statement on the arrest of 15 people who it said were casing the UAE embassy in Adis Ababa did not mention who was behind the plot or the motive, but, according to the report, a 16th arrest in Sweden brought in Ahmed Ismail, believed to be the ringleader of the plot.
Sweden for the ringleader? How very comfortable for him.
American and Israeli officials told the Times that the plot was arranged by Iran, with Iranian intelligence activating a sleeper cell in Addis Ababa last fall with orders to gather intelligence on the three embassies.

The plot was reportedly meant to serve as revenge for the US assassination of former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and the alleged Israeli assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
That was supremely ineffective. How mortifying for Iran.
Israel has not officially confirmed its involvement in the assassination.

According to the Times, Rear Adm. Heidi K. Berg, director of intelligence at the Pentagon’s Africa command, citing Western intelligence sources, stated that Iran was behind the plot and that Ethiopia and Sweden collaborated on thwarting the attacks.
...a sentence I never expected to read in my lifetime.
Related:
Addis Ababa: 2021-02-06 Report: Ethiopia arrests 16 in an Iranian cell planning attack on UAE embassy
Addis Ababa: 2021-02-06 UAE massively cut aid to Palestinians after normalization with Israel
Addis Ababa: 2021-02-05 Ethiopia says it foiled attack on UAE embassy in Addis Ababa
Related:
Ahmed Ismail: 2021-02-06 Report: Ethiopia arrests 16 in an Iranian cell planning attack on UAE embassy
Ahmed Ismail: 2016-12-24 Two men convicted of trying to leave UK to join Islamic State in Iraq
Ahmed Ismail: 2014-05-02 Army Arrests Five Suspects in Dahieh on Various Charges
Posted by:Besoeker

#2  And confirmed when Twitter deletes the news item
Posted by: Clem   2021-02-15 07:44  

#1  A spokeswoman for the Iranian Embassy in Addis Ababa denied the report, calling it "baseless allegations....

Indicates the reporting is likely factual.
Posted by: Besoeker   2021-02-15 07:32  

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