Two Israelis arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran amid open war

Security forces arrested two Israelis Saturday night on suspicion of spying for Iran amid Israel’s ongoing war with the Islamic Republic.

The two Jewish suspects represent just the latest in a string of Iranian espionage incidents thwarted by authorities over the past months amid Israel’s multifront wars in Gaza, Lebanon and now Iran.

“With a campaign against Iran in full swing, missile fire at population centers and strategic locations in Israel, we are witnessing the damage and danger posed by cooperating with the Iranian enemy,” said a Shin Bet in a statement.

The agency added that Iranian agents “exploit the information that these Israelis sent [them] in order to harm Israel.”

The two suspects were arrested in an overnight raid by Shin Bet agents and officers in Yamam, the Border Police’s elite counter-terrorism unit.

Investigators in the police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit interrogated the two, who are suspected of committing grave security offenses.

The suspects’ identifying details were barred from publication after a gag order was placed on the investigation.

The two alleged spies are among dozens of suspects thought to have carried out missions for Iranian intelligence operatives over the past two years, as Iran ramped up its efforts to recruit ordinary Israelis as spies in exchange for money.

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

Of the dozens arrested and charged with espionage for Iran, only a few have been sentenced so far.

A week before Israel launched its surprise attack on Iran, police arrested a 13-year-old who allegedly carried out tasks for an Iranian handler, vandalizing bus stops with messages suggested by the agent.

The young suspect was allegedly offered money to photograph the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Kan reported. He was also asked to take photos of the Iron Dome missile defense system, but refused.

A spokesman for law enforcement said the 13-year-old was released to house arrest soon after being detained.

Earlier this month, Iranian media outlets claimed, without offering evidence, that Tehran had obtained a vast trove of “strategic and sensitive” intelligence related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.

No details on the documents were provided, however. Iran state television said the data was obtained during a “covert operation” involving Israeli citizens Roy Mizrahi and Almog Attias, who were arrested by police in late April on suspicion of collecting intelligence on Iran’s behalf.