The key facts

  • Charges filed on October 29: transferring information to the enemy with intent to harm state security and contact with a foreign agent
  • According to the investigation, contact with Iranian intelligence lasted about a year; among the information passed were base coordinates, photos of interceptors, and American refueling aircraft
  • The soldier was offered 200,000 dollars for a trip to Iran; detention extended until November 12

Indictment in the espionage case

Israel's military prosecution on Thursday, October 29, filed charges against a soldier suspected of spying for Iran. According to Anadolu, citing The Times of Israel and Israeli security agencies, the soldier was arrested in September following an investigation into alleged espionage on behalf of Iranian intelligence. The charges include transferring information to the enemy with intent to harm state security and maintaining contact with a foreign agent. A joint statement by the internal security agency Shin Bet, the police, and the military confirmed the arrest and the investigation.

What was transmitted and what was offered

According to the investigation, contact with Iranian operatives lasted about a year. During this time, the soldier is said to have passed on information about the activities of his unit, the army's readiness, and military gatherings — including data on his own call-up after the war with Iran began this year. The prosecution also claims that he reported the coordinates of military bases, sent photographs of interceptor missiles, military equipment, and American refueling aircraft at an Israeli airport, and passed on information about fellow soldiers and commanders, knowing that the Iranian side might attempt to recruit them. It is additionally reported that the soldier gave access to a Telegram group for Israelis preparing to serve in the army, which an Iranian operative then joined. He was paid in cryptocurrency for the information; according to the prosecution, his handler suggested he install encrypted messaging apps, buy a phone and a pistol, and they agreed on using a coded language and a cover story in case of exposure. For a trip to Iran, the soldier was allegedly offered 200,000 dollars, according to the indictment.

Further procedure

A military court extended the detention until November 12; the authorities are seeking to keep the defendant in custody until the end of the trial. The case is being considered against the backdrop of continued tension between Israel and Iran after the war began earlier this year. All the claims presented come from the Israeli prosecution and security agencies as relayed by them; the defense's position or the defendant's response are not given in the reports.