Israeli security agencies were considering how to deal with the surge of spies working for Iran. A senior official in the Shin Bet said that there is a systematic Iranian effort to target senior Israelis. On Tuesday, a new cell of operatives working for Iran, this time in East Jerusalem, was uncovered. They are suspected of planning the assassination of a nuclear scientist and the mayor of a city in central Israel.
On Monday, the Shin Bet said it arrested seven others, all members of a family who immigrated from Azerbaijan. According to the police, they had been carrying out missions for Iran for two years, before they were captured.
"According to the information gathered in the defense establishment, scientists, mayors, defense establishment senior officials, and other Israeli officials were the targets of Iranian operatives," the Shin Bet official said. "The key to dealing with this is, first of all, a severe punishment that will deter collaborators. People will understand that this is treason, a violation of state security, serving the enemy during wartime." He said law enforcement and the prosecution should consider financial penalties such as the freezing of assets in addition to denial of citizenship.
A number of Israelis were arrested after they agreed to carry out missions on behalf of Iranian intelligence operatives in recent months. The security officials said security services were aware and had increased their efforts to uncover such plots.
"Public awareness on the subject can help people understand more, suspect more and be more vigilant when contacted over social media," he said. warning people not to click on unknown links, not to engage with suspicious strangers, and to avoid answering unknown emails.
Meanwhile, the mayor who was targeted for assassination was notified of the threat against him. "Threats are not new to us, even from criminal elements. I, as mayor, do not shy away from it. There have been mayors who have bolstered the security around themselves, and that is how I will continue to act. I have dedicated my life to the public from a very young age, nothing deters me, I am focused purely on promoting the city and caring for every resident," he said.
The arrest of the east Jerusalem cell, made up of men between the ages of 19 and 23, led interrogators to Iranian intelligence agents who were recruiting Israelis to carry out missions.
One of the detainees, a 23-year-old Israeli citizen, was suspected of contacting a foreign agent and recruited to perform various tasks in Israel. The investigation revealed that the suspect recruited the other members of the cell to carry out the missions they received from the Iranian regime. Those involved sprayed graffiti in various places throughout the country, setting vehicles on fire in Jerusalem, and gathering intelligence.
"For every reported arrest, there are 10 more"
According to a source in the police, for every arrest of operatives working for Iran, there are 10 more cases being investigated. He said the police often stop the suspects before they carry out Iranian instructions that they would never be able to walk back from.
But revealing the spy ring of Israelis working for Iran for years, sending photos of military bases and pinpointing sensitive sites, was an eye opener and a clear sign of escalation. The suspects told their interrogators that their motive for working for Iran was financial. Some had been in debt and the Iranians were willing to pay them well.
They also said that although they loved the people in Israel, they did not feel like they belong.
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