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Shin Bet Reveals Serious Security Breach: Israelis Transfer Strategic Information to Tehran
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Iran's ability to recruit agents inside Israel indicates the development of Iranian intelligence strategies, posing a new challenge to Israeli national security
The Israeli Internal Intelligence Agency (Shin Bet) revealed on Monday that seven Israeli citizens documented highly sensitive security and military facilities for Iran's benefit, prior to the recent Iranian missile attack launched by Tehran against Israeli facilities in early October.
The Shin Bet explained that the seven involved, including a fugitive soldier and two minors, carried out their activities for two years in exchange for financial rewards. They photographed the Nevatim Air Base in the south and the government complex headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Moreover, they collected data on Air Force bases in Nabatim and Ramat David, Camp Kirya in Tel Aviv, Iron Dome system locations, as well as maps of strategic sites including the Golani base, according to the Israeli website "mako".
They also transmitted sensitive data related to high-ranking personalities in the Israeli army and security apparatus. The documented and recorded information was sent to the Iranian side through encrypted channels. Israeli police stated that three of the suspects "were caught red-handed" while documenting a strategic target.
The investigation, which lasted for 35 days, revealed that the group leader met with his Iranian handlers in Turkey, where operational directives were issued and money was handed over to his seven elements to carry out more than 600 intelligence missions for Iran. Tehran used the collected information to plan attacks against Israeli targets.
When the Israeli police arrested the seven involved, they admitted that their motive was financial, confirming that the information they collected was received by Iranian individuals.
This incident is considered one of the most serious espionage cases witnessed by Israel in recent decades. A senior police official stated: "This is an extremely serious incident, a terrorist network that operated for an extended period in a systematic manner, carrying out tasks for Iran."
It's worth noting that the Israeli army had previously acknowledged that Iranian missiles actually hit some air bases. In a statement on October 2, a day after the Iranian missile attack on Israel, it mentioned that some missiles fell on air bases in the country, but did not cause casualties.
For his part, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh announced at the time that his country did not target civilian facilities in Israel, confirming that the attack achieved 90% of its objectives.
On the evening of October 1, the Revolutionary Guards revealed targeting 3 Israeli military bases: "Nevatim" which houses F-35 aircraft, "Hatzerim" base which includes F-15 aircraft used in the attempted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in addition to the Tel Nof base near Tel Aviv.
Levant - Agencies
