Israel arrests seven citizens suspected of spying for Iran
They carried out hundreds of information-gathering tasks on military bases, ports
Jerusalem: Seven Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, Israeli police and security officials say.
The seven, Jewish citizens of Haifa and the north, carried out hundreds of information-gathering tasks on military bases as well as at ports, energy infrastructure sites and at Iron Dome missile defence batteries, according to a statement from the Israel Police and the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet.
The severity and scope of their actions are among the most serious in Israeli history, police said in a separate statement. Prosecutors are expected to file an indictment in coming days, they said.
The suspects, including two minors, worked under the direction of two agents from Iranian intelligence, and were aware that the information they were passing on could harm the state and, in some cases, help the enemy in carrying out missile attacks.
They photographed and documented strategic sites, transferring the data to Iranian agents. The alleged spies purchased advanced equipment procured specifically for the tasks under Iranian guidance.
The suspects were also asked to collect intelligence on certain Israelis. Some of them were apprehended while gathering information on one Israeli, with security assessment indicating potential Iranian plans to harm this individual.
Iran denies
Iran denied interfering in Lebanese affairs after comments by a senior official sparked a political backlash in Beirut, in a rare rift between the two countries.
Iran has “never interfered” in the internal affairs of Lebanon or any other country, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference in Tehran.
His comments came after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf received a public rebuke from Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati last week for saying Tehran could negotiate with France on the implementation of a 2006 UN resolution that envisaged the withdrawal of the Hezbollah militant group from parts of southern Lebanon. Mikati described the comments as “blatant interference.”
Iran will speak with “any country” that has proposals for how to stop Israel’s military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, Baghaei said on Monday. Israel stepped up an offensive against Hezbollah last month, launching a series of air assaults and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Iran has backed Hezbollah with money and arms since its formation in the 1980s, helping to turn it into Tehran’s most formidable proxy militia in the region. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist organisation by the US.