12/23/2024–|Last updated: 12/23/202409:32 (Mecca time)
The Israeli Walla website, citing Israeli security estimates, said that since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, the Internal Security Service (Shin Bet) has foiled 11 planned espionage and assassination attempts. by Iran.
The website says – citing the same estimates – that Iran is recruiting spies in Israel and that Israeli citizens are willing to betray their country for money.
He added – according to the same source – that the Iranians are sophisticated enemies and that they will not surrender quickly and will seek new avenues.
He stressed that Iran is working to strengthen what he called terrorism in the West Bank, Gaza, Yemen, Iraq and Jordan.
He stressed that due to this situation and as a result, the security system has increased the level of alert and vigilance in anticipation of any terrorist acts targeting high-ranking personalities and people occupying sensitive positions.
12 espionage operations
A few days ago, the Israeli Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) revealed that it was able to uncover 12 cases of spying on Israeli citizens in Israel on behalf of Iran in recent months, noting that They included not only information transfer operations, but also attempts to carry out sabotage operations against Israeli installations.
In the report published by the English-language Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, military correspondent Avi Ashkenazi said that some of the spy cells discovered by the Shin Bet in recent months have caused damage to Israel’s security.
Ashkenazi (who also works as a correspondent and military analyst for the Maariv newspaper) cited military sources as saying: “These are unprecedented figures for Israel, and even during the Soviet Union, intelligence agencies Soviets failed to manage such large numbers. spies in Israel, and there were none. Certainly, Israeli citizens chose to betray their country and spy for the enemy,” he said.
The newspaper quoted a security official as saying: “The Iranians carry out sting operations through social media and recruit through phishing. »
He added: “Unfortunately, we have encountered citizens who know that they are acting on behalf of the Iranians, and during investigations they have even admitted to hearing about other citizens who have been denounced for working with the Iranians. Iran to undermine the State of Israel. this, they agreed to spy and act.
Dozens of detainees
Recently, Israeli security circles were very concerned after “the arrest of approximately 30 citizens, mostly Jews,” on suspicion of spying for Iran in 9 secret cells.
According to four security sources interviewed by Reuters, these cells cause “concern within the country” and reflect the greatest effort made by Tehran in decades to infiltrate its sworn enemy.
The four sources – which include current and former military and security officials – said the arrests came after repeated efforts by Iranian intelligence agents over two years to recruit ordinary Israelis to collect intelligence information and carry out attacks in exchange for money.
“There is a huge phenomenon here,” said Shalom Ben Hannan, a former senior Shin Bet official, referring to what he called the surprising number of Jewish citizens who knowingly agreed to work for Iran against the state by gathering intelligence or planning sabotage and attacks. attacks.
Police and the Shin Bet said at least two of the suspects belonged to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
Iranian spy operations in previous decades were carried out by recruiting prominent businessman and former government minister Gonen Segev, while in the new operations most of the new alleged spies are people marginalized in Israeli society . They include recently arrived immigrants, an army deserter and a convicted sex offender, according to sources, court records and official statements.
The Shin Bet said much of the suspects’ activity was limited to spraying anti-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or anti-government slogans on walls and damaging cars.
However, the scale of the arrests and the involvement of large numbers of Israeli Jews in addition to Arab citizens have caused a state of anxiety in Israel amid the continuing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the fragility of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Israel. Lebanon.