Veteran of secret IDF unit arrested, charged upon suspicion of spying for Iran

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

An Israeli civilian who previously served in the military in a classified unit has been arrested and charged with spying on behalf of Iran, Israeli authorities announced Wednesday.

He is the latest in a string of Israelis arrested for espionage on behalf of the Islamic Republic.

In a joint statement, the Israel Police, Defense Ministry, and Shin Bet said the man was charged at the Tel Aviv District Court on July 16 with "contact with a foreign agent and attempted delivery of information for the benefit of the enemy."

The investigation found that the man, who served in a classified unit during both his mandatory service and reserve duty, was in contact with "an individual who identified himself as an Iranian intelligence agent."

The statement said the suspect at one stage was also asked to assist with recruiting a soldier "to establish contact with those [Iranian] agents."

No further details were given regarding the information the suspect sent to the Iranian handler, or when he was arrested. The unit the man served in previously was not identified, as its activities are classified.

Israeli security authorities said they "reiterate their warning" to civilians against "maintaining contact with foreign actors from enemy states or with unidentified individuals."

Over the past two years, dozens of Israelis, including several soldiers and reservists , have been charged with espionage on behalf of Iran. In many cases, Iranian agents recruited Israelis via social media, specifically through Telegram, with promises of payment.

Earlier this month, one soldier performing mandatory service was sentenced to five years in prison for carrying out espionage tasks on behalf of Iran, after being convicted of contact with a foreign agent and delivering information liable to benefit the enemy.

Iranian handlers usually start their recruits with relatively mundane tasks such as vandalism or the filming of public locations, which then escalate into more severe, sometimes even violent offenses.

The growing number of alleged Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing in Haifa’s Damon prison for those indicted on such spying charges. Most of the cases are still making their way through the legal system.

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.

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