The Shin Bet announced Friday that it had arrested a father and son from northern Israel last month on suspicion of spying for Iran during the ongoing war.
According to the security agency, Tahrir Safadi, 21, from the Druze village of Mas'ade in the Golan Heights, gathered intelligence for the Shiite axis under the guidance of his father, Bassem Safadi.
Shin Bet arrests father and son suspected of spying for Iran
(Video: Israel Police)
Tahrir was arrested and charged with espionage, while his father, previously detained in 2016 for supporting terrorism and inciting violence on social media, was placed under administrative detention by order of Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Investigators revealed that Tahrir collected intelligence on military movements and activities in the region, passing it on to Hussam as-Salam Tawfiq Zidan, a Damascus-based journalist with the Iranian state-owned Al-Alam News Network. Zidan reportedly works for the Palestinian branch of the Quds Force, tasked with assisting Palestinian groups in organizing terror attacks against Israel.
Under Zidan's direction, the father and son allegedly photographed military deployments, soldiers and equipment. During the war, Tahrir reportedly continued his espionage activities, providing precise locations of Hezbollah missile strikes in Israel.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
"The investigation revealed once again how the Shiite axis, led by Iran, works to facilitate terror attacks in Israel by recruiting Israeli citizens to act as spies," the Shin Bet and Israel Police said in a joint statement.
"The security forces and police view any contact with Iranian operatives as a grave threat to the State of Israel and its citizens. We will continue to act under our authority and within the law to thwart such threats and ensure those involved are brought to justice," the statement added.