Released for publication: These are the Israelis who transferred security information to Iran

It has been permitted for publication that during a joint operation by the Israel Security Agency and the Minorities Division of the Northern District Police, two residents of the village of Mas'ade were arrested in November on suspicion of being recruited by Iranian agents and committing offenses of espionage and contact with a foreign agent during wartime.

During the investigation by the Shin Bet and the Northern District Police, it was revealed that Tahrir Safadi, a 21-year-old resident of Mas'ade, a software engineering student, had been involved in recent years in gathering intelligence for the Shiite axis and Iranian guidance, all at the behest of his father, Bassam Safadi.

Meanwhile, he collected information about IDF activities in the area, which was transferred to Hossam Al-Salam Taufiq Zidan, a journalist for the Iranian channel "Al-Alam," who resides in Damascus and has been working for the Palestinian branch of the Iranian Quds Force in recent years, whose purpose is to assist Palestinian organizations in carrying out terrorist activities against the citizens of the State of Israel.

Tahrir and Basam were operated by Hossam Zidan, and under his guidance, they carried out collection tasks, including photographing IDF forces, tank movements, armed soldiers, equipment, weapons, and more, which they transmitted to their operator, Zidan, on behalf of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The investigation also revealed that Tahrir continued his security activities even during the war, including gathering information about the activities of IDF forces and even about the locations of missile strikes during the war.

At the conclusion of the investigation by the Shin Bet and the police, a serious indictment was filed today, December 6, 2024, against Tahrir by the Northern District Prosecutor's Office, attributing him with serious espionage offenses.

Regarding the case of Bassam Safadi, the father of Tahrir, who was arrested and interrogated as part of the affair, in the absence of a criminal alternative and given his high danger to state security and public peace, the Minister of Defense signed an order for his administrative detention.

The investigation of the affair has once again revealed that the forces of the Shiite axis, led by Iran, are working to promote terrorist activities in Israel and are exploiting the residents of the State of Israel for recruitment into espionage activities for their own purposes.

The Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police view any connection to the elements of the Shiite axis in general, and Iran in particular, and espionage activities that threaten the security of the State of Israel and its residents, with great severity. They will continue to act according to the authority granted to them by law and to take all measures at their disposal to thwart these threats and to enforce the law strictly against all those involved.