Iran has stepped up its efforts to recruit spies in Israel. Israeli authorities say they have arrested more than 30 spies in the past year, and this week two army reservists were detained. As VOA Jerusalem correspondent Linda Gradstein reports, one of the detainees is accused of selling secret data on the Israeli air defense system known as the Iron Dome to Tehran.
Israelis have been shocked by news that more than 30 Israeli citizens have been recruited by Tehran amid their country's ongoing war with Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. This is the highest number in Israeli history. The two latest arrests are Israeli army reservists, with one of them accused of selling secret data on the Israeli air defense system to Tehran.
Iran struck several military bases in two ballistic missile attacks on Israel in April and October 2024. Israeli security analysts say the Iranian attacks were based in part on information that Israeli spies had provided to Tehran. Eyal Pinko is with Bar Ilan University.
"We know that during the first Iranian attack, the bases attacked, like the ones in the Golan and Raphael in the north, were targeted by Tehran with the help of individuals who went there. So they had accurate target data."
The two Israeli army reservists are among 30 other detainees who have been convicted or accused of espionage since the start of the war.
The Israeli prison in Rimonim has had to build a new building for those detained for espionage, a shelter where prisoners are held in harsh conditions, similar to those for Hamas militants accused of terrorist acts.
According to Israeli television, Iran has recruited spies by offering large sums of money through the Telegram app, from $20 for painting anti-government slogans on walls to $4,000 for kidnapping Israeli officials. Analysts say the suspected spies have been detained before they can take extreme action.
"As soon as you realize that something is wrong or suspicious or you go to the extreme, the Iranians have caught up with you, because you did something wrong. They threaten individuals that they will tell their wives, their families or report them to the police. It's too late, that's how they recruit," explains Eyal Pinko with Bar Ilan University.
Almost all of those arrested on espionage charges over the past year are Russian-speaking immigrants.
Israel is home to over a million Russian immigrants, a community where many are struggling financially and have complained of a lack of support from Israeli institutions. Some of those arrested have cited economic motives as the driving force behind their activities.
Voice of America spoke with expert Chuck Freilich of the Institute for National Security Studies.
"Some of the Russian immigrants in Israel are in dire financial straits as a result of the economic downturn due to the war or extended military service."
According to Israeli analysts, the successful Iranian campaign to recruit spies in Israel comes as expectations grow for an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in the coming months. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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