The Media Line: Israeli Authorities Foil ISIS Car Bomb Plot Targeting Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall

Israeli Authorities Foil ISIS Car Bomb Plot Targeting Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall

Security forces arrested five Arab Israeli citizens linked to ISIS, thwarting a car-bombing plot targeting Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall. The suspects had studied attacks in Syria and were in contact with foreign ISIS operatives

By Simcha Pasko/The Media Line

Israeli security forces have thwarted a major terror attack, arresting five Arab Israeli citizens who were allegedly plotting to carry out a car-bombing at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall under the banner of the Islamic State (ISIS), police and Shin Bet announced Thursday. The foiled attack could have resulted in mass casualties and significant destruction, according to the authorities.

The five suspects, all residents of Taybeh in central Israel, had reportedly formed a terror cell aligned with ISIS. After a month-long clandestine investigation involving the elite Lahav 433 crime unit, the suspects were arrested and are set to face formal charges in the coming days.

The alleged ringleaders, Mahmoud Azam and Ibrahim Sheik Yousef were identified as the key figures behind the plot. They had recruited three others—Sajed Masarwa, Abdullah Baransi, and Abdel Kareem Baransi—to assist in planning the attack. According to the joint statement from the Israel Police and Shin Bet, the suspects had studied footage of previous terror attacks in Syria and discussed the amount of explosives needed to bring down the Azrieli towers, one of Tel Aviv’s most prominent landmarks.

Authorities noted that Azam and Yousef were in contact with foreign ISIS operatives and had plans to travel abroad to meet with members of the extremist group. The plot was uncovered through “precise and effective intelligence operations” and was stopped in its preliminary stages, preventing what officials described as “a major disaster.”

In their statement, police and Shin Bet stressed that the arrests had “saved lives” and reiterated their commitment to using all available resources to protect Israeli citizens from future terror plots.

This announcement comes after a recent wave of terror attacks in Israel, including a fatal shooting at the Beersheba bus station and a stabbing spree in Hadera, both carried out by Arab Israeli assailants. The arrests also follow the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.