Israel Fears Prominent Citizens will be Targeted Abroad by Iran

Israelis traveling abroad are perhaps a bit more anxious for their personal safety following a report by the Israel News Company that the head of Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, akin to the FBI, paid a personal visit to former prime minister Ehud Barak to warn him that he might be targeted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. While Barak is well known, others not as readily identifiable but have value to the Iranians because of their Israeli citizenship, are also valuable as hostages and arguably easier to apprehend. Two powerful motivations are fueling the fear: the bargaining chip hostage scenario and simple revenge for a number of assassinations and attacks targeting Iranians in Syria that were blamed on Israel. It would not be the first time that diplomats or even tourists traveling in another country were targeting by Iran. The warning comes as a record tourist season gets underway and tens of thousands of Israelis are leaving daily for summer vacations.