Israel has recently arrested around 30 mostly Jewish citizens who are accused of spying for Iran. This shocking news highlights Iran’s biggest efforts in years to gather intelligence against Israel.
According to Israeli security sources, the spies were part of nine secret groups. Some of their alleged goals included planning to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist and gathering information on military bases and air defenses. One father-son duo is accused of sharing details about Israeli military movements in the Golan Heights where they live.
Over the past two years, Iranian intelligence has been trying to recruit ordinary Israelis with offers of money for sensitive information. Shalom Ben Hanan, a former Israeli security official, noted the surprising number of Jewish citizens willing to work for Iran against their own country. Many of the arrested were not well-known figures but included recent immigrants, an army deserter, and even a convicted sex offender. Their activities mostly involved vandalizing property, such as spray-painting anti-government slogans and damaging cars.
The scale of these arrests has raised alarm in Israel, especially amid its ongoing conflict with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza. On October 21, Shin Bet, Israel’s security service, warned that this espionage activity was one of the most serious challenges faced by the state.
After several assassination attempts and kidnappings connected to Iran in Europe and the U.S., Israeli security agencies decided to publicly share details about these plots to warn both the Iranian government and potential traitors.
Iran’s foreign ministry has not confirmed or denied plans to recruit Israelis, but a statement suggested that recruitment efforts would typically focus on non-Iranian and non-Muslim individuals. Iranian intelligence often finds recruits on social media, sometimes promising large sums of money for information, like $15,000 for certain details.
One of the arrested suspects, Vladislav Victorsson, 30, was detained for tasks like vandalism and had conversations with Iranians on the Telegram messaging app. He was reported to have agreed to carry out serious acts, like assassination and obtaining weapons
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