Two Israeli Air Force technicians charged for spying for Tehran

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday that two Israeli Air Force (IAF) mechanics have been charged with spying for the Iranian regime. The mechanics, who serviced F-15 fighter jets at the Nof Airbase in central Israel, reportedly leaked sensitive data to their Iranian handler, including photos of an aviation instructor and a diagram of an aircraft engine.

In an indictment filed the same day, prosecutors said the two had been charged with “security offenses on behalf of Iranian intelligence elements.” One of the mechanics faces charges of assisting an enemy during wartime, including providing sensitive information to a foreign agent, while the second is charged with contacting and supplying information to an enemy agent.

The case is considered one of the most serious security incidents amid ongoing Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis to spy on behalf of Tehran. 

The Israeli military, the Israeli security agency Shin Bet and the Israel Police jointly announced that the two suspects claimed during an interrogation that they had cut their ties with the Iranian handlers after they demanded that the Israelis carry out tasks involving arms. 

“However, even after the contact was cut off at the initiative of the handler, they did not cease attempts to renew contact, for the purpose of financial gain,” the authorities said in a joint statement. 

The contact with the Iranians reportedly started a year ago. Israeli Army Radio reported an Iranian handler asked the IDF soldiers, “What monthly salary would satisfy you?” One of the soldiers responded, “$1,300.”

The indictment states that the two suspects “maintained contact with Iranian intelligence elements and carried out various tasks under their direction in exchange for money.” It also revealed that one of the charged soldiers reportedly provided the Iranian agent with “materials from his military training relating to fighter aircraft systems, as well as documentation of facilities and areas within a military base.”

The F-15 fighter jets at the Nof Airbase recently participated in the Israeli Operation Roaring Lion military offensive against the Iranian regime and its critical military assets. 

The Army Radio further reported that the Iranians were dissatisfied with the confidential information they received, prompting one of the charged mechanics to send photos of the control tower, runways, and drones at the base. However, the soldier reportedly did not receive financial compensation for these photos. 

The Iranian handlers reportedly demanded that the soldiers assassinate Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, who personally participated in the large air campaign against Iran. One of the suspects reportedly responded to the demand by saying he would “check it and try.”

They also reportedly instructed the two IDF suspects to collect intelligence, including photos of the whereabouts of senior Israeli officials such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former prime minister Naftali Bennett, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, former IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, and information about Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

An Israeli resident in Haifa was arrested earlier this month for spying for Iran and producing a bomb in a plot that aimed to assassinate former Israeli Prime Minister Bennett. 

In March, two brothers in Jerusalem were charged for spying for the Iranian regime while claiming to have misled their Iranian handler with alleged fake AI information.