IDF soldier charged with spying for Iran, sending footage of rocket impact sites

An IDF soldier has been charged with spying on behalf of Iran in return for financial compensation, the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police announce.

The soldier was recently detained, and following an investigation led by the Shin Bet, police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit, and the Military Police, an indictment was filed against him today by military prosecutors.

According to the Shin Bet and police, the soldier “knowingly maintained contact with Iranian elements and carried out tasks for them, including transferring footage of interceptions and filming rocket impact sites in Israel.”

The agency notes that the information the soldier provided to Iran was not classified, and did not come to the soldier as part of his role in the IDF.

The Shin Bet says the incident is “especially grave” as the Israeli soldier “maintained contact with the enemy.”

Military prosecutors charge the soldier with “contact with a foreign agent and transmission of information to the enemy.”

A military court orders that the soldier remain held until July 22, though his remand is expected to be extended further amid the trial.

Over the past two years, Iran has ramped up its efforts to recruit Israelis as spies in exchange for money.

In most cases, Israelis are recruited by Iranian handlers online and begin by carrying out small, innocuous tasks that gradually grow into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and even assassination plots.