Israel charges 4 with spying for Iran

Shafaq News- Middle East

Israel on Friday indicted three soldiers and a civilian on charges of spying for Iranian intelligence after allegedly documenting military sites and critical infrastructure, according to Israeli media.

Cited by Israeli outlets, the Shin Bet, Israeli police, and military police said the suspects were recruited by Iranian operatives while still minors and maintained long-term contact with them before and after joining the army. The group photographed train stations, shopping centers, surveillance cameras, and the Israeli Air Force Technical School, where some of the suspects studied.

Authorities also accused some of them of proactively contacting Iranian operatives to carry out security-related missions and participating in acts of vandalism. The four suspects allegedly received payments, including cryptocurrency, for some assignments.

Earlier this year, Israeli outlets claimed that the Shin Bet thwarted around 120 Iranian-linked spying attempts in 2025, with at least 25 Israelis indicted on espionage charges tied to Tehran. The increase in such cases led to the establishment of a new wing for detainees at Damon Prison in Haifa.

Iran has also intensified its own crackdown on alleged Israeli-linked networks. In April, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the arrest of more than 120 people accused of links to Israel and the United States, including individuals allegedly transmitting coordinates of sensitive sites and planning sabotage operations.