From Ashkelon to Tehran: How Iran works to recruit agents in the heart of Israel

The arrest of a 73-year-old man from Ashkelon in August on suspicion of committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence agents was permitted for publication on Thursday. 

The Ashkelon resident, Moti Maman, was detained as part of a joint operation between the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police's Lahav 433 National Crime Unit. 

Maariv spoke with Lior Ackerman, Head of National Resilience at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University and Chairman of the New People's Council, who addressed Iran's attempts to recruit Israeli spies.

"Iran's attempts to recruit Israeli agents and activate them within Israel are not new. Over the years, there have been numerous incidents, thwarted plots, and arrests in which the Shin Bet succeeded in identifying the danger before any damage was caused," he explained.

Recruited through social media

He further added, "The Iranians frequently operate through social media and fake profiles, and in the past, they recruited Israelis who were more or less naive to carry out information-gathering tasks for them."

"The current incident is more unusual because it involves identifying an Israeli and recruiting him for the purpose of carrying out actual attacks within Israel in exchange for money. It even involves his secret transfer to meetings in Iran. In other words, this is not a case of an innocent citizen who made a mistake," he noted.