Israeli authorities revealed on Wednesday that an Israeli citizen who served in a classified military unit had been charged with maintaining contact with an Iranian intelligence operative and attempting to pass information to benefit the enemy.
The indictment was filed on July 16 by the State Attorney’s Office Cyber Department in the Tel Aviv District Court, according to a joint statement from the Israel Police, the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Ministry of Defense.
The suspect served in both mandatory and reserve duty in a classified Israel Defense Forces unit, the statement said.
The investigation, conducted by the Israel Police’s Arazim Major Crimes Unit, the Defense Ministry’s Security Department and the Shin Bet, found that the suspect had been in contact with a person who identified himself as an Iranian intelligence operative.
Authorities said the suspect was also asked at one stage to help recruit another IDF soldier to establish contact with the same hostile elements.
The agencies warned Israelis against maintaining contact with individuals from enemy states or “unidentified individuals.”
“The public is urged to report any suspicious or unusual contact to the relevant law enforcement authorities,” the statement said. “It is important to emphasize that such contact may constitute a criminal offense from its very inception.”
A senior official involved in the investigation cited by the Kan News public broadcaster described the charges as “one of the most shocking cases” of espionage on Tehran’s behalf.
The suspect’s attorney, Nati Rom from the Honenu legal-aid organization, denounced the charges, saying they pertained to an “isolated incident that, at most, reflects a lack of caution.”
“It is regrettable that a man who dedicated his life to the security of the state, at great personal cost, now finds himself charged with security offenses and imprisoned as though he were a [Hamas] Nukhba terrorist,” Rom continued.
“There is no allegation that my client acted out of malicious intent, greed or, certainly, any desire to harm the security of the state,” he said. “This was nothing more than an ill-conceived joke.”
Attempts by the Iranian intelligence agencies to recruit Israelis have intensified over the past year, and in particular since “Operation Rising Lion” against the Islamic Republic in June 2025.
Since last year, the Israel Police and ISA have exposed dozens additional Iranian-related espionage cases, resulting in serious indictments.
Earlier this year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered legal proceedings to begin to revoke the citizenship of Israelis convicted of spying for Iran during the war, in what officials described as an unprecedented move that will apply to all Israeli citizens.
The directive, issued with the backing of outgoing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, instructs law-enforcement authorities to pursue citizenship revocation once legal proceedings are complete and a final, binding conviction has been handed down for serious espionage offenses carried out on behalf of the Islamic Republic.
