Israel’s security agencies cannot remember when they last faced such an imminent and unusual threat of terrorist attacks against Israelis abroad. Unusually, detailed intelligence information about several Iranian-sponsored terrorist cells roaming Istanbul in search of Israeli citizens prompted the National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau to issue repeated warnings in recent days to Israelis in Turkey in general, and Istanbul in particular, to get out of the country immediately.

Israel has not made public all the intelligence it has received, but its public warnings refer to several Iranian-sponsored terror cells cooperating with Turkish citizens and mercenaries. Israeli officials note that while Iran is clearly sponsoring these cells, its members are apparently not Iranian citizens, allowing it a measure of deniability.

Israeli officials say these teams have been given direct orders to attack Israelis no matter what, to hunt them through social media or use scouts to scour the streets and bazaars for easily identifiable Israelis in order to kidnap or kill them.

Israel occasionally issues travel warnings regarding specific destinations based on concrete intelligence. This time, the warnings have included strict instructions to Israelis in Turkey to avoid any external logos, bags or dress that could hint at their nationality, to keep a low profile and avoid sites that Israeli tourists are known to favor.