A recent article reveals that several Israeli citizens have ignored or not reported suspicious proposals on social media, while others have accepted missions for Iran. Dr. Avner Barnea, a researcher at the National Security Studies Center at the University of Haifa and former ISA officer, traveled clandestinely to Iran, where intelligence agents presented him with various tasks that he rejected after asking for a million dollars.
According to the information obtained, Iranian services use social media to recruit Israelis and have managed to obtain maps of strategic sites in the country through Iranian contacts. Some individuals were even surveilling an Israeli Air Force officer with the intention of assassinating him, while others accepted the possibility of committing murders for sums of money.
One of those accused of espionage for Iran and planning the assassination of Israeli officials is Moti Maman, a resident of Ashkelon. The ISA has arrested a total of 18 Israeli citizens suspected of collaborating with Iranian intelligence, seven of whom emigrated from Azerbaijan and maintained contact with Iran for two years, carrying out about 600 missions in exchange for cash and cryptocurrency payments.
In a separate operation, seven young Palestinians from East Jerusalem were arrested by the ISA for carrying out tasks such as setting fire to vehicles and conspiring to assassinate a scientist. They used social media to recruit others, including Vladislav Victorson and Anna Bernstein from Ramat Gan, who were recruited via Telegram.
These operations, although they seem limited, represent a significant risk to national security. The suspects posted propaganda against Prime Minister Netanyahu, set vehicles on fire, and attempted to manufacture an explosive. They are accused of gathering information about military bases, Iron Dome batteries, and other energy infrastructures, having acquired weapons even though they were arrested before acting.
