Investigation launched into the deaths of 3 Turkish citizens in Israeli attack

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an ex officio investigation into the deaths of three Turkish citizens who lost their lives as a result of an Israeli airstrike while attempting to cross from Lebanon into Israel. 

Hüseyin Kaya (53), a construction worker and father of three from the Kaman district of Kırşehir, along with his colleagues Çınar Alp Baydenk and Sezer Özdemir, had traveled to the country some time ago to collect outstanding wages from their previous work in Israel. The three friends, who traveled from Istanbul to Lebanon on January 9, lost contact on January 11 while attempting to cross into Israel from the Lebanese border via illegal routes.

It was learned that the three Turkish citizens, who were reported missing at the Lebanese border, had previously entered Israel illegally using false names and had been deported after working there for two to three years. It was known that the three Turkish citizens were attempting to cross from Lebanon into Israel illegally this time as well to work.

The last contact with Özdemir, Kaya, and Baydenk occurred in the Shebaa Farms area of Mount Dov on the Lebanese side of the border. Israeli media reported on the evening of January 11 that three unidentified individuals attempting to cross the border had been neutralized as a result of an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces. Upon the possibility that these individuals might be Turkish citizens, the embassies in Beirut and Tel Aviv contacted local authorities. According to information obtained from authorized sources, a group of approximately 20 people, consisting of citizens from various countries, attempted to cross into Israel from Lebanon via illegal routes on January 11. It was learned that the group had reached an agreement with an international organized crime syndicate for a fee to cross into Israel. The organization directed the group to a specific point by sending live locations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had announced that Özdemir, Kaya, and Baydenk lost their lives as a result of an attack carried out by an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle on the Lebanese border on the evening of January 11. The relatives of those killed had filed a criminal complaint against the human smugglers.

News Source: 12punto