By Fariba Raad | 2024-10-30

Recent attempts to assassinate prominent Israelis, reportedly orchestrated by the Iranian regime, indicate Tehran's lack of commitment to peace in the region, analysts say.

Israeli police on October 22 announced the arrest of seven Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem on suspicion of plotting to kill prominent Israelis.

"These individuals, under Iranian direction, planned to assassinate a senior Israeli scientist and a mayor of a major Israeli city," a police statement said.

Police said the group had been promised payment for bombing a police car and throwing a grenade at a house.

"This investigation underscores Iran's efforts to recruit Israeli citizens for terrorism," the statement quoted an Israeli security official as saying.

On October 21 Israeli police dismantled a separate seven-member cell accused of spying on military bases and energy infrastructure for Iranian intelligence. The suspects were from Haifa and northern regions of Israel.

A few weeks earlier, Israeli police reported the arrest of another Israeli citizen suspected of being recruited by the Iranian regime to plan the assassination of high-profile officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iranian regime proxy Hizbullah claimed responsibility for an October 19 drone attack on Netanyahu's residence in the central town of Caesarea.

Double-faced strategies

While the Iranian regime claims it is committed to pursuing peace, it relies on espionage and covert operations to further its agenda, said Babak Taghvaee, a defence and security analyst based in Germany.

"The Islamic Republic's pursuit of peace in the Middle East, especially with Israel, is a facade," Taghvaee told Pishtaz.

"Like other terror-supporting regimes, the Islamic Republic plays diplomatic games on the international stage," he said. "These are simply displays of peace for the global media."

Tehran has reached a point where, even if it wanted to, it could not take genuine steps toward reducing tensions with Israel, Taghvaee said.

"Iran has no interest in de-escalation, as doing so would undermine its standing with its proxy forces and numerous allies, both regional and beyond," he said.

Middle East affairs analyst Erfan Fard also pointed to the duality in the Iranian regime's policies.

"Fundamentally, this regime is opposed to peace and stability," he told Pishtaz, noting that the Iranian regime's terrorist plots undermine efforts to reduce tensions with Israel.

The "covert terrorist operations and targeted assassinations" carried out by the Iranian regime and its proxies "seriously damage trust among the parties involved in this conflict and hinder diplomatic processes," he said.