Iran top diplomat to visit Turkiye after Israeli charges of attacks

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will visit Ankara on Monday after Tehran dismissed as "ridiculous" allegations by Israel that the country was planning anti-Israeli attacks in Turkiye.

Amir-Abdollahian "will pay a visit to Turkiye" on Monday for talks on bilateral issues as well as current regional and international developments," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

The visit comes four days after Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid -- set to assume the helm of a caretaker government -- thanked Turkiye for foiling an alleged Iranian assassination plot against its citizens in Istanbul.

Last week, Turkiye detained eight members of an alleged Iranian cell who were plotting to kill Israelis including a former ambassador ahead of Lapid's visit to Ankara.

"We are full of appreciation for the Turkish government for this professional and coordinated activity," Lapid said after talks in Ankara Thursday designed to highlight a thaw in relations between the two occasional regional rivals.

On Friday, Iran denied the "baseless" claims.

"The baseless allegations... are ridiculous and part of a pre-designed plot to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

Israel last week called on its citizens to leave Turkey because of the "real and immediate danger" coming from Iranian operatives.