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Israeli occupation authorities have arrested another citizen on suspicion of espionage for Iran, according to a joint statement issued today by Israel Police and the Shin Bet security agency.
Prosecutors were set to file charges against 26-year-old Daniel Kitov, an Israeli resident of Petah Tikvah, in Lod District Court this morning for making contact with a foreign agent, reported the Times of Israel.
Kitov was taken into custody earlier this month after spray-painting graffiti in multiple locations across Petah Tikvah and the central town of Rosh HaAyin. According to police, he carried out these acts under the order of an Iranian handler in exchange for payment.
The Iranian handler also apparently instructed Kitov to photograph Israeli military bases and the residence of the head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency, Ronen Bar, though he never followed through on these requests.
Kitov himself suggested photographing the home of the head of the opposition State Camp Party and former member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, Benny Gantz, but ultimately did not act on it.
Israeli occupation authorities warn that Iranian operatives have intensified their recruitment efforts on social media, targeting ordinary Israeli citizens with financial incentives to carry out tasks. In many cases, recruits start with seemingly harmless assignments that escalate into serious offenses, including intelligence gathering and even assassination plots.
Israel and Iran consider one another their primary enemy and have been exchanging accusations for years for being responsible for acts of sabotage, assassinations and cyber-attacks committed by either side.
READ: 2 Israel soldiers arrested on charges of espionage for Iran
Israeli occupation authorities have arrested another citizen on suspicion of espionage for Iran, according to a joint statement issued today by the Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency.
Prosecutors are expected to charge 26-year-old Daniel Kitov, a resident of Petah Tikvah, in Lod District Court this morning for allegedly making contact with a foreign agent, The Times of Israel reported.
Kitov was taken into custody earlier this month after spray-painting graffiti in multiple locations across Petah Tikvah and the central town of Rosh HaAyin. According to police, he carried out these acts under the instructions of an Iranian handler in exchange for payment.
The Iranian handler also directed Kitov to photograph Israeli military bases and the residence of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, though he never followed through. Kitov himself suggested photographing the home of Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz, head of the State Camp Party and former member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, but ultimately did not act on it.
Israeli occupation authorities warn that Iranian operatives have ramped up recruitment efforts on social media, targeting ordinary Israeli citizens with financial incentives to carry out various tasks. In many cases, recruits start with seemingly minor assignments that escalate into serious offences, including intelligence gathering and even assassination plots.
The arrest follows a report by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper earlier this month revealing that the Haifa District Attorney’s Office in northern Israel charged two reserve soldiers with transferring sensitive information and spying for Iran.
The newspaper disclosed that one of the reserve soldiers in the Israeli army, Yuri Elisfov, transferred sensitive and important information to Iran related to the Iron Dome system during the war on Gaza.
Israel and Iran consider one another their primary enemy and have been exchanging accusations for years for being responsible for acts of sabotage, assassinations and cyber-attacks committed by either side.
READ: 2 Britons detained in Iran charged with spying, Iranian judiciary says