According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Israeli media were conducting a campaign against Hakan Fidan, head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (commonly known by its Turkish acronym MIT).

Fidan has widely been targeted by Israeli media and authorities who try to link him to Iran.

“We see this media campaign as an attack and there might be an Israeli effort behind it,” a Turkish intelligence source told Hurriyet.

“Especially after the Washington Post story on Oct. 17 and the follow-ups with Jerusalem (al-Quds) bylines,” it added.

Turkish intelligence sources told Hurriyet that they believe it is Israel's intent to smear Fidan through the press in order to discredit his boss, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan has taken a critical approach toward Israel, as relations between the two soured after the Israeli takeover of the Mavi Marmara Gaza protest ship in 2010.

Ankara also believes that Israel leaked the Iran spy network story in order to manufacture a crisis so that the Tel Aviv regime could avoid paying compensation to the families of the nine Turkish nationals killed aboard the Mavi Marmara by Israeli commando units.

SHI/SHI