Israel released information on Wednesday saying that they had foiled a bombing plot on the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv that was in the "advanced planning stages."

Israeli Security Services stated that they had apprehended three Palestinians, two from Jerusalem and one from one from the West Bank, that had been recruited by an al-Qaeda operative based in the Gaza Strip. They report that the operative, who worked for al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, recruited the men separately using social media that included Facebook and Skype.

Israel reports that five additional “foreign operatives” were also arrested by alert border guards. Those five men were also to take part in the twin attacks on the U.S. Embassy and the International Convention Center in Jerusalem.

Ynet News reported that two of the operatives were to detonate suicide belts at the entrance of the embassy. “We are talking about a serious plan that was now in initial stages of coming together,” a senior Shin Bet source told Ynet. “During the investigation we updated the relevant parties in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

The Shin Bet intelligence agency said that the other operatives were to go to the convention center and detonate a bomb at the entrance, then detonate another when first responders arrived at the scene. Prior to the attacks, the three men were to travel to Syria to undergo training, then return to Israel using fake Russian passports.

The operatives were recruited as long as four months ago and arrested on Christmas Day, but a gag order wasn’t lifted until Wednesday allowing the public release of the information.