Lahav 433 officer reveals how police caught Israelis spying for Iran, motives behind the espionage

“These cases reflect a broader phenomenon which began with the outbreak of war, the Iranian agents showing a strong desire for recruitment within Israel,” said Peretz.

In the midst of the War of Israel-Hamas which broke out on October 7, 2023, a disturbing trend began to take shape: the recruitment of Israeli citizens by Iranian agents for spying purposes.

This development arrives at a time of war, endangering state security. Thanks to the information provided by the Shin Bet and the investigations carried out by the Israeli police, 25 cases of espionage involving Israelis working for Iranian intelligence agencies have been thwarted.

Acts of accusation have been filed, 40 Israelis are expected to face charges. Among these cases, 17 were managed by the national unit for investigations on serious and international crimes within Lahav 433, while eight cases were processed by the central units of various police districts.

In all cases, the investigators managed to bring together evidence that led to the arrest of the suspects. Lieutenant-Colonel Sarit Peretz, head of the security department of Lahav 433, shared information on the issue with Maariv.

“Our unit has worked on 17 spy cases so far,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Peretz. “These cases reflect a broader phenomenon which began with the outbreak of war, the Iranian agents showing a strong desire for recruitment within Israel.”

She continued: “The first case we discovered involved a young Haredi Shemesh Haredi man in July 2024. At the time, it seemed to be an isolated incident.

Lieutenant-Colonel Peretz also explained: “From that moment, we started to discover cases involving two or three suspects each, all linked to Iran. Most of these links started on social media platforms. At first, it was not obvious that they were Iranian agents.

Money is the main reason

When asked if the reason for suspects has always been financial, Peretz has confirmed: “Yes, still. The reason is money – easy money. They are motivated by the desire to receive payments as quickly as possible. There is also the problem of anonymity – getting money from someone they do not know.”

Peretz has also explained that money is often channeled by digital cryptocurrencies: “Exactly. The use of cryptocurrencies allows greater anonymity and greater transfer.”

Lahav 433 Cyber ​​Unit was the key to the success of the investigation

Peretz highlighted the crucial role of Lahav 433 cyber-unit, which specializes in the survey on digital portfolios: “Our cyberbullying is the most professional of the Israel police when it comes to investigating digital portfolios. They have the expertise, the global network and the tools necessary to trace funds and digital wallets open.”

Types of tasks attributed to Israeli suspects by Iran

“The tasks assigned to the Israelis have progressed by stages,” said Peretz. “It starts with identification tasks – confirm the individual is indeed Israeli. They are asked for identity cards and other personal details to check their identity. Once the operation is satisfied, the tasks become more personal. The Israelis are invited to take photos of the operator and even supermarkets, or to photograph certain streets.

She continued: “As the relationship deepened, the tasks degenerate: graffiti such as” the children of the Spirit of Allah “or the” Bibi dictator “, burning FDI uniforms, the degradation of the Israeli flag.

“No one left the country for training,” said Peretz. “We have stopped suspects before.

Collaboration between the police and Shin Bet

Peretz highlighted the importance of collaboration between the police of Israel and Shin Bet: “When we quickly identify an Israeli element in contact with an Iranian agent, we and Shin Bet act quickly. Our goal is to assess the extent of potential damage. Many people involved have caused significant damage before their arrests. Objective to monitor the port for more information on ships entering and leaving Israel.

In addition, Peretz explained that not all espionage cases are treated by Lahav 433. “Because of the large number of cases, the central police units of various districts are also involved in these serious cases,” she said.

“These units have an experience in organized crime surveys, and like us, they collaborate with Shin Bet.”

“The amounts involved varied from 800,000 shekels to a million shekels,” said Peretz.

Suspects defenses

“Most suspects do not deny their involvement,” she noted. “They recognize the cases that we have exposed but try to distance themselves by saying that they did not intend to harm Israel. They often support that they did not fully understand the consequences of their actions.”

“While a suspect expressed dissatisfaction with the state, it was not clearly ideological,” said Peretz. “The majority of suspects said they loved Israel. But their motivation has always been an easy money question – they did not fully consider the implications of their actions.”