The suspects, all Israeli citizens, conducted intelligence missions for two years under the direction of two Iranian agents, the authorities said.
The Israeli authorities said on Monday that they have dismantled a spy network made up of seven Israelis who were gathering intelligence for Iran, adding that the seven had been arrested. It’s one of the largest such cases involving Iran since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago.
The seven Israelis, all from the country’s north, were arrested after an investigation concluded that they had conducted intelligence missions for two years under the direction of two Iranian agents, according to a statement by the Israeli police and Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency. They are suspected of photographing and gathering information on Israeli air force and navy installations, ports, Iron Dome missile defense systems and a power plant, the statement said.
A separate statement, in Hebrew, said that the suspects had surveilled Nevatim, an air base in the Negev desert in the south of the country, which Iran attempted to hit with missiles on Oct. 1. The statements did not say when the arrests were made.
The English language version of Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, did not mention the case or offer any response from the Iranian authorities.
“The network members were aware that the intelligence they provided compromised national security and could potentially aid enemy missile attacks,” the statement said.
The statement named five of the suspects, citing the other two as minors, and said that they used equipment “procured specifically” for tasks of espionage under Iranian guidance.
Some of the suspects were caught while trying to gather intelligence on a senior Israeli citizen who lived nearby. Israeli security determined that there was a potential plan to harm that citizen, but gave no details of their identity. Charges against the suspects are expected in the coming days, the statement said, adding that they were all Jewish Israeli citizens.
The suspects were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, the statement said. They were originally from Azerbaijan, according to the Israeli news organization Haaretz, which said they were motivated by money.
Israel’s government has said it will retaliate against Iran for a drone and missile attack by Tehran on Israel on Oct. 1. Direct conflict between Israel and Iran broke out in April after a clandestine war that had lasted for decades.
In September, Israeli authorities said they had indicted a citizen who prosecutors said met with Iranian intelligence agents and discussed a plan to carry out attacks on Israeli soil, including a possible attempt to assassinate the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the justice ministry.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg is a London-based reporter on the Live team at The Times, which covers breaking and developing news. More about Matthew Mpoke Bigg
