Ambulance driver charged with Iran espionage, allegedly spied on Herzog and Smotrich

An ambulance driver from the Galilee was charged Thursday morning with espionage for Iran, which included spying on President Isaac Herzog and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as they visited a northern hospital.

Amir Hisham Mohammad Titi, a 34-year-old man from the Arab village of Bi’ina, was arrested last month and indicted Thursday in the Haifa District Court, police announced. His arrest is the latest in a string of cases of Israelis arrested for alleged espionage on behalf of the Islamic Republic.

Titi is accused of exploiting his access to medical centers across Israel to pass sensitive intelligence to his Iranian handler, including information about hospitals’ preparedness in emergency situations.

During a visit by Herzog and Smotrich to Nahariya’s Galilee Medical Center, the accused allegedly reached out to his handler on his own initiative, notifying him of their appearance at the hospital.

He sent a photo of Herzog and his entourage to the Iranian agent, prosecutors said.

The alleged espionage went beyond Titi’s work as an ambulance driver, and the defendant was also sent to protest locations, including Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and the site of a demonstration in Haifa, prosecutors said.

The accused also traveled to Amikam, the moshav where former defense minister Yoav Gallant resides, and documented houses, streets and a clinic in the area, prosecutors added.

According to the indictment, Titi received tens of thousands of shekels in exchange for his actions, transferred to him in cryptocurrency.

Over the past two years, dozens of Israelis, including several soldiers and reservists, have been charged with espionage on behalf of Iran. In many cases, Iranian agents recruited Israelis via social media, specifically through Telegram, with promises of payment.

On Wednesday authorities said an Israeli who previously served in the military in a classified unit had been arrested and charged with spying on behalf of Iran. He allegedly told Iranian agents he knew “a lot” and was “here for the big jobs” in exchange for payment.

No further details were given regarding the information the suspect sent to the Iranians, or when he was arrested.

Earlier this month, a soldier performing mandatory service was sentenced to five years in prison for carrying out espionage tasks on behalf of Iran, after being convicted of contact with a foreign agent and delivering information liable to benefit the enemy.

Iranian handlers usually start their recruits with relatively mundane tasks such as vandalism or the filming of public locations, which then escalate into more severe, sometimes even violent offenses.

The growing number of alleged Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing in Haifa’s Damon Prison for those indicted on such spying charges. Most of the cases are still making their way through the legal system.