According to the Turkish media, government officials succeeded in amassing the list of 174 names of officers and soldiers involved in the Mavi Marmara by planting intelligence agents inside Israel. The Zaman newspaper reports that Turkish agents were actually inside Israel, working to confirm the identities of military personal involved in the commando operation against the terrorist vessel, an operation which ultimately led to the breakdown in diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Officially, Turkish government officials are denying the accuracy of the Zaman report, reporting it never requested that its intelligence agency confirm the identities of soldiers.
That said, the government is not denying that it placed operatives in Israel, but only that it did not request that its intelligence agency do so.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Wow…Now I am shocked that they were able to even pull this off.
I believe it’s more than likely Turkey obtained the names not like James Bond but through means available to anyone from Wikileaks and other mediums. It’s part of his campaign to exaggerate his abilities and power, in this case another instance of sticking it to the Israelis. Probably by beating the drums against Israel, he helps his political standing in his country.
Anyone who is surprised that Turkey has intelligence assets capable of “pulling this off” is woefully ignorant…they one of the largest armed forces among NATO countries, and there have been frequent news accounts of their intelligence operations in Iraq/Kurdistan