Israel has exposed 35 Iranian espionage cases since September

Israeli authorities have exposed at least 35 Iranian-linked espionage cases since September. The increasingly frequent incidents have involved Israeli citizens from across society, including IDF soldiers and even a 13-year-old lured by financial incentives to pass sensitive information to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran has escalated its espionage efforts against Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The cases have also included alleged attempts to assassinate top-ranking Israeli officials and to sow chaos and division within Israeli society.

Last September, the Israeli businessman Mordechai “Moti” Maman was arrested in his hometown of Ashkelon, charged with ties to an Iranian agent and participating in a plot to assassinate the Israeli prime minister, the defense minister and the Shin Bet intelligence agency chief. Maman admitted during the interrogation that he was motivated by financial rewards. 

“I don’t know what would have happened if they had brought me money, a million dollars, what I would have done – we’re only human,” Maman said. He reportedly met with intelligence agents in Iran during one of his travels abroad. 

In October 2024, seven Israelis were arrested after they were accused of spying on behalf of Iran against the Jewish state. 

"This is one of the most serious incidents ever investigated," assessed IDF Lt.-Gen. Yaron Binyamin, commander of the Lehav 433's Security Division. 

"We probably have too many people like that in Israel and it's very disturbing,” he said at the time. 

Another case last year included Vladislav Victorson and his partner Anna Bernstein, who were indicted for carrying out tasks on behalf of an Iranian security official, including torching vehicles and burying cash. Victorson apparently also agreed to carry out an assassination in Israel and to illegally obtain weapons, including pistols, grenades and a sniper rifle. 

The Iranian-linked cases also include contacts with the Iranian-backed terrorist militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last year, Israeli authorities filed indictments against Abed Al-Salam and Taar Asili, two Jerusalem residents who were reportedly passing on sensitive information to Hezbollah during the war between the Jihadist militia and Israel. 

In March of this year, Israeli authorities filed charges against Doron Buchovza – a resident in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba – for offering to sell sensitive security information to Iranian intelligence. Buchovza reportedly claimed that he had “access to the Nuclear Research Center” in Dimona, one of Israel’s top-secret installations. 

In May, Moshe Atias, a teenager from the Israeli town of Yavne, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions on behalf of Iranian terror elements, including gathering intelligence near a hospital where former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was hospitalized. As in other cases, Atias was reportedly motivated by the prospect of financial gain.

In a separate case, Israeli authorities arrested Roy Mizrahi and Almog Atias on suspicion of spying for the Iranian regime. The two Israeli nationals were reportedly instructed by their Iranian handler to install cameras at sensitive locations across Israel, including moshav Kfar Ahim, where Defense Minister Israel Katz resides. They were also allegedly asked to transport “objects” between various locations in the country.

In June, authorities in Tel Aviv arrested a 13-year-old boy who reportedly agreed to spy for Tehran. Iranian operatives are said to have contacted the minor via Telegram and asked him to carry out various tasks in exchange for financial compensation.

While Iranian-linked spying cases in Israel have increased dramatically in the past two years, the vast majority of the cases have so far been exposed and thwarted before they caused any serious harm to Israel’s national security.