Ejected from Syria, Iran offers olive branch to its new rulers

Erdler Amoyal was contacted in October via social media by an agent identifying as Ariana, before being introduced to another handler, John, according to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

“This investigation once again reveals the efforts of Iranian intelligence agencies in attempting to recruit Israeli citizens for the purpose of promoting espionage and terrorist activities,” a Shin Bet official said.

Despite knowing the operatives represented a hostile state, Amoyal agreed to carry out tasks, including surveillance and writing graffiti in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, featuring phrases such as We Make Peace and Sinwar.

The Shin Bet said that Amoyal sought bomb-making materials, watched tutorials on constructing explosives, and attempted to acquire a firearm with a silencer.

He also proposed attacks targeting Israeli infrastructure, including setting a police vehicle on fire and cutting electricity to the Jerusalem light rail.

Payments for these missions were made through cryptocurrency, authorities said.

The announcement follows several arrests in recent months tied to alleged Iranian plots.

Earlier this month, three northern Israel residents were detained on similar charges.

In October, seven Arabs from East Jerusalem were arrested by security forces on suspicion of plotting to assassinate scientists and senior Israeli officials on behalf of the Iranian government.

In September, Moti Maman, a 73-year-old Jewish businessman from the southern coastal city of Ashkelon, was arrested on allegations of meeting with Iranian intelligence operatives and aiding them in planning high-profile assassinations, including that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the Shin Bet, Maman even traveled to Iran twice this year, where he requested $1 million as an advance payment for a series of missions.

The longstanding enmity between Iran and Israel has deepened in recent months, marked by a series of escalating confrontations across multiple fronts.

Iran's support for proxy groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and militias in Syria has heightened tensions, as Israel continues to carry out targeted strikes against Iranian-linked assets in the region to curb Tehran's influence.

The two regional powerhouses have also exchanged direct blows in two rounds of tit-for-tat attacks that carry the risk of all-out war.

Iran has intensified its rhetoric and expanded its cyber and covert operations targeting Israeli interests.

Dual US-Iranian national Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, 38, of Tehran, were charged with violating US export control and sanctions laws.

Abedini is also accused of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers in a January drone attack on a military base in Jordan.

The US defense department indicated at the time that an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, Kata'ib Hezbollah, was responsible for the strike. It was the deadliest attack on US troops since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel sparked a sprawling conflict pitting Israel - long armed and supported by Washington - against groups loyal to Tehran.

Sadeghi was arrested in Massachusetts, while Abedini was detained in Italy at the request of US authorities. Both face up to 20 years in prison, with Abedini also facing charges that could result in life imprisonment.

“The Justice Department will hold accountable those who enable the Iranian regime to target and kill Americans and undermine the national security of the United States,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

According to court filings, Abedini founded San’at Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co. (SDRA), an Iranian company that produces the Sepehr Navigation System, used in IRGC military drones, cruise, and ballistic missiles. Sadeghi, a former founder of a Massachusetts technology company, allegedly conspired to procure US-origin components through illicit channels for SDRA, violating export laws.

The investigation revealed that SDRA’s navigation systems were integral to the Shahed drones used in the January 28 attack on the Tower 22 base in Jordan, which killed three service members and injured more than 40 others.

The US government is now seeking Abedini’s extradition from Italy.

German diplomats met HTS representatives on Tuesday in Damascus to discuss the transition, according to Germany’s foreign ministry.

"The possibilities of a diplomatic presence in Damascus are also being explored there," read a statement, adding that Berlin is monitoring HTS closely given its roots in al-Qaeda ideology.

"As far as one can tell, they have acted prudently so far," the statement said.

The fall of Assad this month marked the end of 13 years of war, during which around one million refugees have moved to Germany. The country has since paused the asylum procedures as it assesses the new government.

The ministry said that Germany is liaising closely with its partners, including the US, France and Britain, as well as Arab states.

A statement Tuesday said there will be conditions for moving forward.

"The situation remains fragile – the civil war has not only destroyed the country but left deep scars in Syrian society. Millions of people are displaced, the humanitarian situation remains extremely precarious and the danger of fresh violence is omnipresent," the ministry said.

The Federal Foreign Office has drawn up an eight-point plan to support a future Syria, including a greater diplomatic presence and securing and destroying chemical weapons.

"At this time of fragility, it is crucial that Syria does not once again become an arena for international power struggles," added the statement.

On Tuesday, Ann Snow, the UK's special representative for Syria, was seen meeting the HTS leader in Damascus, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced "direct" talks were also ongoing.

Also among those keen to engage the new leadership, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, made clear her intentions for the country to build relations moving forward.

"Italy is the only G7 country with an open embassy in Damascus and is ready to engage in dialogue with Syria's new leadership within the framework of joint assessments and actions with European and international partners," she said Wednesday.

The President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, speaking in Ankara, said on Wednesday that while the collapse of the Assad government offers new hope to Syrians, there are still great risks.

Standing alongside Turkish President Recap Erdogan at a press conference, she said: "The situation on the ground remains extremely volatile so we are closely monitoring developments ... Europe is ready to do its part to support Syria at this critical junction."

She said their top diplomat is also returning to Damascus, adding that "direct engagement" with HTS and other factions will be next on the agenda, in addition to humanitarian aid and the early recovery of services such as electricity, water and infrastructure. Europe is Syria's biggest donor, with 33 billion euros gathered for the country since 2011, she said.

"Turkey has an essential role in stabilizing the region," she said, speaking directly to President Erdogan, along with a role in the prevention of a resurgence of terrorism.

The statements came as this week, the EU also announced it would be sending an envoy to Damascus for talks with the new interim leadership.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that while the EU delegation, which is like an embassy, in Syria was never officially closed, there had not been an accredited ambassador in Damascus during the war.

"We want this delegation to be fully operational again," Kallas said in the European Parliament.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kallas said that part of the upcoming EU-Syria discussions will be to sway Damascus from the grip of Iran and Russia.

Directing her message to the new leaders, Kallas said: “Russia and Iran are not your friends, are not helping you if you are in trouble. They left Assad’s regime, and that is a very clear message showing that their hands are full elsewhere and they are weakened.”

As the remnants of the decades-long Assad rule are being swept away, the head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organization said on Monday that a mass grave outside of Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government.

Mouaz Moustafa of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said that at al-Qutayfah, 40 km north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves he had identified over the years, hundreds of thousands of Syrians estimated to have been killed since 2011 following Assad’s crackdown on the civil war.

Speaking to Reuters, he said there are fears of US and UK citizens as well as other foreigners being among them. “One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate. It's a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate,” he said.

“Everyone, especially women, should be vigilant about the enemy’s soft tactics and not be deceived by slogans and temptations,” Khamenei said in a meeting with a group of women on Tuesday.

"They label it as defending women, advocating for women's rights, or supporting a group of women," he added, pointing to the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement. "Yet, under the pretext of defending a single woman, they incite unrest in the country."

The 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement began after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. The ensuing crackdown, which led to the deaths of at least 550 protesters, was described as a crime against humanity by a UN fact-finding mission.

In his first public statements following the uprising in 2022, Khamenei said the protests had been engineered by Iran's enemies and their allies.

As the hijab war continues, the government has now officially postponed the implementation of the latest and most controversial hijab law, which imposes severe penalties on women and girls who defy veiling requirements, following widespread backlash from the public and international community.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in a letter to parliament on Saturday, requested that the implementation of the Hijab and Chastity law be halted. A member of the parliament's presiding board stated that this delay is to allow the government to submit an amended version of the bill for parliamentary review.

Last week, Amnesty International condemned the new law, stating that it intensifies the oppression of women and girls while exposing activists opposing the rules to charges that carry the death penalty.

Amnesty noted that the law, drafted in May 2023, less than a year after the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, was introduced in response to widespread defiance of compulsory veiling by women and girls.

Iran-backed forces will endure - Khamenei

In his speech, Khamenei emphasized that Tehran's armed groups in the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah, remain strong despite significant challenges posed by external forces.

Addressing the situations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, Khamenei condemned the actions of the United States and Israel, calling their assumption that resistance would end a grave miscalculation.

"They thought resistance was over," Khamenei said. "They are gravely mistaken. The spirit of Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah is alive; the spirit of Sinwar is alive. Their martyrdom has not removed them from existence. Their path continues."

Khamenei dismissed Israel's military operations in Syria, warning that its efforts to encircle and eliminate Hezbollah forces would ultimately fail. "The one who will be uprooted is Israel," he said.

While Israel maintains that it has no interest in conflict with Syria and rarely comments on specific strikes, it has carried out a series of operations targeting weapons facilities and military infrastructure. Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Israel has intensified strikes against military installations across the country.

On Monday, multiple large explosions rocked Syria's coastal areas — home to Russian and pro-Assad military bases, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel also maintains troop presence inside the buffer zone and beyond, citing efforts to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attacks, in which Iran-backed Hamas infiltrated Israeli territory, killing over 1,100 people and taking more than 250 hostages.

“I prefer not to use the word ‘imminent'," he said. "This is on the agenda, and as soon as the necessary conditions are met—both in terms of security and politics—we will move forward with reopening the embassy."

Video footage shared on the day President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow showed militants in the embassy, ransacking documents and vandalizing the facility, with shattered glass and broken furniture seen around the building. Iranian media reported that the staff had fled before it was taken over.

Addressing comments made on Monday by the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, that Iran and Russia should have no role in Syria's future, Baghaei said: “This is an interesting joke, and I think when she made this comment, she was probably reading history books. The era when foreign powers could dictate to other regions is over.”

Explaining Iran's role in Syria, Baghaei said: “Our presence in Syria was fundamental and principled, and our withdrawal was responsible. We were not seeking expansionism, dominance, or the revival of past empires. What mattered to us in Syria was helping ensure its security in the fight against terrorism.”

Syria, under Assad, was a key component of Iran’s so-called 'Axis of Resistance,' serving as a vital land corridor for supplying weapons and materiel to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Over the years, Israel sought to disrupt this supply line through hundreds of airstrikes.

During the briefing, he also addressed remarks made by several Iranian politicians that Assad government owes approximately $30 to $50 billion to Iran.

He said the number were exaggerated, saying that the debts will be transferred to Syria's new political system based on the principle of state succession. "These figures, such as the claim of a $50 billion debt owed to Iran by Syria, are truly very exaggerated."

As Iran looks to its future after a battered Syria, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the D-8 summit in Egypt, the spokesman confirmed on Tuesday. The summit of the eight major Muslim developing countries, known as the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, will be held on Thursday.