Israel arrests 30 in alleged Iran-linked spying cells, foiling assassination plans, reports say
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Israeli authorities arrested around 30 individuals, mostly Jews, suspected of spying for Iran in 9 secret cells, raising concerns within Israel.
The Israeli Internal Security Service, Shin Bet, said that the alleged cells “failed to carry out plans, including the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist and former military officials, while one group gathered intelligence on military bases and air defenses.”
Last week, the Shabak and the police reported that a father and son team had passed on details about the movements of Israeli forces, including in the Golan Heights where they reside.
Four security sources, including current and former military and security officials, told Israeli media that “the arrests followed two years of attempts by Iranian intelligence agents to recruit ordinary citizens for espionage and attacks in exchange for money.”
In turn, Shalom Ben Hanan, a former senior Shabak official, noted, "There is a significant development here," highlighting the “surprising” number of Israeli Jews who willingly worked for Iran, gathering intelligence or planning sabotage and attacks.
Notably, Israel and Iran consider each other their primary adversaries and have exchanged accusations for years over sabotage activities, assassinations, and cyber-attacks.
In a statement after the wave of arrests, Iran's mission to the United Nations neither confirmed nor denied Tehran's attempts to recruit Israelis, noting that "logically," Iranian intelligence would target non-Iranians and non-Muslims to avoid suspicion.
Unlike previous Iranian espionage operations, which involved high-profile figures like a prominent businessman and former government minister, most of the new suspected spies are “marginalized individuals” from Israeli society, including recent immigrants, military deserters, and those with sexual crime convictions, according to judicial records and official statements.
