Axios: Mexico thwarts Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli ambassador, officials say

Mexican security services foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz-Neiger, in the summer of 2025, according to US and Israeli officials cited by Axios.

US officials said the thwarted plan is further evidence that Iran maintains an extensive global network targeting American and Israeli interests, including operations in Latin America.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the plot was devised by Unit 11000 — a branch of the Quds Force within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The same unit has reportedly attempted attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Australia and Europe in recent months.

The operation allegedly began in late 2024 and was led by a Unit 11000 operative who had spent several years recruiting and managing Iranian agents across Latin America from Iran’s embassy in Venezuela. The source said that by the time the plan was in motion, the operative had returned to Quds Force headquarters in Tehran.

A US official told Axios that the assassination attempt remained active through the first half of 2025 before being disrupted over the summer.

“The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat,” the official said.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the allegations.

“This is just the latest in a long history of assassination attempts by Iran around the world targeting diplomats, journalists, dissidents, and anyone who disagrees with them — something that should deeply concern every country where there is an Iranian presence,” the US official said.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein expressed gratitude to Mexican authorities, saying Israel “thanks Mexico's security and law enforcement agencies for thwarting the plot.”

“The Israeli intelligence and security community will continue to work tirelessly, in full cooperation with security and intelligence agencies around the world, to thwart terror threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide,” Marmorstein added.

By Sabina Mammadli