Israeli intelligence foils Iranian spy plot targeting Defense Minister Katz

Shin Bet, the Israel Security Agency, announced on Tuesday that it foiled a plot by the Islamic Republic of Iran to spy on Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz with the help of two Israeli citizens, both of whom were arrested.

Roi Mizrahi and Almog Atias, two 24-year-old males from the northern Israeli town Nesher, were reportedly recruited by Tehran with the promise of receiving financial assistance to pay off millions of shekels of gambling debt. Neither of the suspects had any past criminal record. They two men reportedly attempted to place a surveillance video camera adjacent to the entrance of Katz’s home in Kfar Ahim, located in south-central Israel, and were also tasked with receiving and transporting an exploding object.

The Iranian handlers decided to slowly build a relationship with the two Israeli suspects by initially giving them lower priority tasks, according to reports.

The Israeli defense minister praised Israeli intelligence and security officials for preventing the attack.

“I commend the Shin Bet and the Israel Police for thwarting the Iranian attempt to harm me in my capacity as Israel’s defense minister. Iran is the head of the terror octopus, promoting terrorist activity directly and through the terror organizations it supports, targeting leaders and all citizens of the State of Israel,” Katz said.

He pledged to persist in his efforts to secure the release of the hostages and ensure the safety of Israeli citizens.

“My heart and concern are first and foremost with the hostages, who are exposed and defenseless in Hamas’s tunnels, and with Israeli citizens facing Iranian threats both at home and abroad,” Katz stated.

“I will not be deterred by any threat and will continue to fulfill my commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to sever the head of the Iranian octopus and the arms of the terror tentacles it supports,” he added.

The ayatollah regime has stepped up its efforts to recruit Israeli citizens to spy for Tehran against the State of Israel since the Hamas Oct. 7 attack in 2023.

In October 2024, Israeli authorities uncovered an Iranian-led spy network in central Israel involving the arrest of a husband and wife in the city of Lod, near Tel Aviv.

At the time, Israeli police also arrested a third Israeli citizen from the city of Bnei Brak who faced charges of spying for Iran.

In January 2025, Israeli authorities arrested two IDF reservist soldiers for spying on behalf of Tehran. One of the suspects served in the Iron Dome aerial defense unit, considered crucial for the Israel's defense against incoming hostile missiles.

“The Shin Bet and the Israel Police arrested two Israeli citizens who carried out missions for the Iranians, one of whom passed classified material to his operator that he obtained during his military service in the air defense system,” Israeli intelligence stated.