Seven Israelis arrested for spying for Iran, providing info on army bases

Seven Israelis were arrested on suspicion of espionage for Iran, Israel Police and the Shin Bet announced Monday.

Prosecutors allege that the suspects completed some 600 missions for Iran, including gathering intelligence on sensitive military and infrastructure sites and identifying potential human targets for the Islamic Republic.

Notable sites involved in their alleged espionage included Ramat David Airbase, Nevatim Airbase, Glilot, and the Golani Brigade base, where four soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone attack last week.

The suspects "were given maps of strategic sites from their handlers, including of the Golani Brigade base," the State Attorney said.

The seven suspects, Jewish Israelis of Azeri origin from Haifa and Haifa’s bayside suburbs, some of whom are relatives and one of whom is an AWOL soldier, have been in custody for around 35 days. Two are minors, according to police.

Charges, expected by the end of the week, are anticipated to include assisting the enemy during wartime.

Actions by the suspects "inflicted security damage on the state," according to Israeli assessments, a senior Israel Security Agency (ISA) said Monday.

The "severity and scope" of the incident is "among the most serious known to Israel," Israel Police said.

Iran's continued efforts

"This investigation highlights ongoing efforts by Iranian intelligence to recruit and exploit Israeli citizens for espionage and terrorism within Israel," it added.

The network of spies “conducted extensive reconnaissance missions on IDF bases nationwide, focusing on air force and navy installations, ports, Iron Dome system locations, and energy infrastructure such as the Hadera power plant,” Israel Police said.

The accused are also suspected of collecting intelligence on several Israeli citizens. Some of them were apprehended by police while working to gather intelligence on an Israeli citizen who Israeli security officials anticipated Iran was planning to harm, Israel Police said.

"The network members were aware that the intelligence they provided compromised national security and could potentially aid enemy missile attacks," Israel police said.

According to police officials, the suspects were motivated purely by financial gain, receiving payment in various amounts depending on the risk of the operation. The group was allegedly directed by two Iranian intelligence agents, referred to as “Alkhan” and “Orkhan.”

Initial contact between the parties reportedly took place around two years ago.

The suspects were allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, with payments routed through Russian intermediaries who traveled to Israel. Police also seized dozens of documents during the investigation.

"As part of the investigation, many materials seized were collected by the members of the ring and handed over to the Iranian agents," the senior Shin Bet source said.

The suspects acted out of greed for money “and to hurt the State of Israel and its citizens,” the police said.

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said that "those who spy for Iran will lose their citizenship," Ynet quoted him as saying.

The arrest of the seven were part of a coordinated counterintelligence operation run by the ISA, Lahav 433 of the Israel Police, and the Information Security Department in the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The State Attorney emphasized that this case joins a series of similar cases that have been revealed in past weeks, some of which have led to arrests and indictments, and others which are expected to in the near future. 

Reuters contributed to this report.