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.<\/p>\n
Israeli security authorities said they \u201creiterate their warning\u201d to civilians against \u201cmaintaining contact with foreign actors from enemy states or with unidentified individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t Over the past two years, dozens of Israelis, including several soldiers<\/a> and reservists<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The growing number of alleged Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing in Haifa\u2019s Damon prison for those indicted on such spying charges. Most of the cases are still making their way through the legal system.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Prison guards operate in a special wing of the Damon Prison established for Israelis accused of spying for Iran, in the Druze town of Daliyat al-Karmel, northern Israel, July 1, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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