Nazareth resident, 19, charged with spying for Hezbollah during war
Mohammad Sa’adi allegedly gave information about rocket impacts, troop locations and plane movements to Lebanese terror group and allied TV station; also asked to join as a fighter
Prosecutors on Thursday indicted a Nazareth man on charges he spied for the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah during the war, the Shin Bet and Israel Police said in a statement.
Mohammad Sa’adi, 19, was charged with contacting a foreign agent after he was detained in November on suspicion that he had passed information to Hezbollah, the statement said.
An investigation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed he had contacted the terror group several times and asked to join the group and fight for it, authorities added.
Sa’adi allegedly sent Hezbollah information on rocket impact locations, aircraft movements, and Israel Defense Forces troop locations.
He is also accused of contacting the Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar television station, and sending it photos and videos during the course of the conflict.
Israeli authorities linked Sa’adi’s alleged spying to a series of cases in recent months of Israelis allegedly recruited to spy for Iran, passing on information about rocket impacts, military sites, or individuals targeted for assassination. Many are thought to have been duped into the work or were drawn in by promises of large payouts rather than seeking to undermine Israel from the inside.
“The investigation into this matter exposed yet again the fact that actors from the Shia axis, led by Iran, are working to advance terror activities in Israel, including by recruiting residents of the State of Israel, whom they exploit to spy for their purposes,” the Shin Bet and police said.
Sa’adi appeared to be the first among those charged who allegedly spied for Hezbollah specifically.
Hezbollah started firing barrages of rockets and drones at Israel from Lebanon on October 8, 2023; their attack came one day after fellow Iranian-backed terror group Hamas, in Gaza, invaded Israel from the south, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing multifront war.
After more than a year of fighting, Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement last month, which has broadly held, despite some alleged violations by the terror group and respondent Israeli airstrikes.
The Times of Israel Community.