Israeli security officials have revealed disturbing new information about the recently uncovered Iranian spy network operating within Israel. Seven Israeli citizens, including a military deserter and two minors, were arrested for gathering intelligence for their Iranian handlers.
"We had to act quickly with urgent arrests after we realized that they were surveilling a high-ranking figure and his children," said Chief Inspector Alex Nemirovsky in a Tuesday interview with 103FM. "Their activities had escalated to a point where they posed a real threat to their target."
The accused spies, all immigrants from Azerbaijan, are Aziz Nisanov, Alexander Sadikov, Yigal Nisan, Vyacheslav Goshchin, Yevgeny Yoffe, and two minors whose names are withheld by law as a result of their age.
Over a two-year period, they allegedly gathered sensitive information about IDF Air Force bases in Nevatim and Ramat David, the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Iron Dome defense system locations, and other strategic military installations.
According to investigators, the Iranian handlers compensated the suspects with hundreds of thousands of dollars, partially through cryptocurrency transactions.
The State Attorney's Office has described this as "one of the most serious security cases in recent years."
The case, which is expected to see formal indictments filed Friday at the Haifa District Court, is being closely monitored by senior legal officials, including Attorney Shelly Barzilai-Zeevi, head of the security team at the Haifa District Attorney's Office, Attorney Einav Itsko Gold, and Alon Altman, Deputy State Attorney for Special Functions.
The investigation remains active as authorities continue to uncover the full scope of the alleged espionage operation. Security officials are particularly concerned about the targeting of high-ranking figures and military installations, which point to a sophisticated level of Iranian intelligence gathering within Israel's borders.
