Tajik man accused of spying on Israel for Iran

A man from Tajikistan holding a Russian passport was recently arrested on suspicion of spying on Israel on behalf of Iran and working to recruit additional spies, authorities announce.

A joint investigation by the police, Shin Bet, and the Defense Ministry found that Behrouz Sobirgon, a Tajik citizen, was in contact with an Iranian handler starting in January, with most of his “security activity” taking place during the recent war with Iran.

A statement says that during the war, Sobirgon “sought to help Iran achieve operational successes and advance its objectives in the international arena against the State of Israel.”

The investigation found that Sobirgon was approached with “an innocent job offer,” but he “quickly realized that it had been made by an Iranian agent and nevertheless maintained contact.”

The missions he carried out for the Iranian handler included “documenting and transferring the locations of Iranian missile impact sites” during the Iran war, providing coordinates of the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, sending a photo of the Haifa Port, and attempting to photograph a “sensitive security facility” in northern Israel, the joint statement says.

“In addition to all of this, he actively assisted in recruiting additional people for missions on behalf of Iranian operatives,” the police, Shin Bet, and Defense Ministry say.

Sobirgon was arrested in June, and prosecutors now announce their intention to file an indictment against him. They also ask that he be kept in custody until the end of legal proceedings.

He is the latest person to be arrested on suspicion of spying for the Islamic Republic, a burgeoning phenomenon that the security establishment has struggled to stem, even during the recent war against Iran.