Israeli authorities arrest three citizens suspected of espionage for Iran

The Shin Bet has announced that three Israeli citizens were arrested in the past two weeks on suspicion of engaging in activities related to national security in Israel, allegedly under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents.

According to the investigation, one of the suspects, 21-year-old Elimelech Stern from Beit Shemesh, communicated via the Telegram app with a profile named "ANNA ELENA", Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Through this profile, Stern was instructed to carry out various tasks, including hanging signs in Tel Aviv, hiding money in different locations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, delivering packages containing a severed animal head or a doll alongside a knife and a threatening message to Israeli civilians, and attempting to set fire to a forest.

Investigators stated that Stern agreed to carry out the tasks requested of him, except for committing murder and setting a forest on fire. The Shin Bet reported that Stern received payment in cryptocurrency and recruited two other Israelis to assist him.

"The method of contacting Israeli citizens through social networks, under false identities representing the person making the request, is a well-known modus operandi of Iranian intelligence agencies," the Shin Bet stated in their announcement.

Last year, two Israelis were acquitted of charges related to espionage for Iran, while a third was convicted on a related charge, concluding a case that began with serious espionage allegations against five individuals with personal or family ties to the Islamic Republic.