As Iran bolsters campaign to recruit spies, police and Shin Bet warn Israelis not to cooperate

In the midst of war with Iran, police and the Shin Bet warn Israelis against maintaining contact with or spying for Iranian intelligence operatives, amid attempts to recruit ordinary citizens into espionage schemes on behalf of the Islamic Republic.

The agencies say that since the June war, Iran has ramped up its campaign to build a network of homegrown Israeli spies, most of whom are recruited via the internet and spurred on by the promise of money.

Police say such recruits are enlisted to carry out missions meant to “gather intelligence on strategic targets, the locations of individuals and critical infrastructure.”

Since the outbreak of the June war, 16 espionage cases have been uncovered by authorities and serious indictments have been filed against the suspects, police continue, adding that those convicted of such offenses face a lengthy prison sentence.

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