Israeli security forces last month arrested two residents of Kiryat Yam, near Haifa, who allegedly passed photos and locations of sensitive military sites to Iranian intelligence, authorities said on Sunday.
Shimon Azarzar, 27, and his partner, who was not named, were arrested on suspicion of multiple security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence operatives and carrying out “missions” for payment, according to a joint statement by the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).
Azarzar allegedly sent photos and coordinates of sensitive Israel Defense Forces sites and offered to obtain critical information from military facilities by exploiting his relationship with his partner, who was serving as a reservist at an Israeli Air Force base.
According to the police investigation, Azarzar received digital payments for his espionage activity, which allegedly continued for more than a year.
He was indicted in the Haifa District Court on Sunday morning.
The Shin Bet and Israel Police reiterated their warning to Israelis “against maintaining contact with foreign elements from enemy states and/or unidentified individuals—let alone carrying out missions for them in exchange for payment or for any other reason.
“Israel’s security bodies will continue to work to detect and thwart terror and espionage activity in Israel and will act to prosecute all those involved to the fullest extent of the law,” the statement added.
Since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli security forces have uncovered more than three dozen cases in which Tehran attempted to recruit Israeli nationals.
On Nov. 2, authorities indicted a 23-year-old resident of Tiberias on charges of collaborating with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out missions on their behalf for financial gain.
The suspect, identified as Yosef Ein Eli, was detained in September as part of a coordinated operation by the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 International Crime Investigations Unit and the Shin Bet.
Prosecutors alleged Eli exploited his employment at a Dead Sea hotel to photograph and transmit information to his Iranian handlers. He also provided details about tourist sites in Israel’s south.
