Israeli citizens arrested on suspicion of working for Iranian intelligence
October 28, 2024 2 Comments
THE ISRAELI SECURITY AGENCY (ISA) has announced the arrest of 18 Israeli citizens suspected of working for Iranian Intelligence. Among them are seven Israelis, who immigrated to Israel from Azerbaijan, and are suspected of having been in contact for two years with Iranian intelligence. Some of the seven were caught carrying out surveillance against a senior Israeli Air Force officer, whom they were reportedly planning to assassinate.
Israeli authorities accuse the suspects of photographing and collecting information on military bases and facilities, including Air Force bases, Iron Dome battery sites, a power plant, and other energy infrastructure facilities. The suspects are also accused of having received from their Iranian handlers a set of maps of Israeli strategic sites, including the Golani Brigade’s training base, where four Israeli soldiers were killed by a drone attack last week. In over two years, the suspects allegedly performed approximately 600 missions under the direction of two handlers from Iranian intelligence. They did so in return for hundreds of thousands of shekels, which were paid to them in cash and various crypto-currencies.
Another Israeli citizen, who was arrested on suspicion of spying for Iranian intelligence in return for payments, has been named as Vladimir Varehovsky, 35, from Tel Aviv. Among other tasks, Varehovsky is suspected of gathering information about an Israeli scientist, whom he agreed to murder in exchange for a $100,000 payment. The suspect had reportedly acquired weapons for the assigned task, but the ISA arrested him before he could carry it out.
In another counterintelligence operation, the ISA arrested seven young Palestinians from the east of Jerusalem, who have been charged with working for Iranian Intelligence. The main suspect recruited the other six to carry out tasks for a fee. Tasks included setting cars on fire, gathering information about a city mayor in Israel, and plotting to assassinate one of the country’s top scientists. The suspects used social media for recruitment purposes. They were reportedly arrested before they were able to execute their missions.
Other suspects include a couple, Vladislav Victorson, 30, and Anna Bernstein, 18, from Ramat Gan. According to the indictment, the Iranians recruited the couple through the Telegram social media platform. In return for payment in crypto-currencies, the suspects posted flyers against the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, set fire to vehicles, and tried to assemble an explosive device. According to the investigation, Victorson even agreed to kill an individual in Israel and throw a grenade at his house. He sought to obtain weapons, including sniper rifles, pistols, and grenades. “If you manage to kill the man in the next three days, you will receive a reward of $130,000,” the Iranian handler wrote to Victorson. “I’m ready to kill him,” responded Victorson.
About a month ago, it was announced that Moti Maman, a 72-year-old resident of Ashkelon, was accused of spying for Iran and planning to assassinate Israeli officials. Maman was allegedly smuggled into Iran on two different occasions in the past six months. While there, he met with Iranian intelligence officials, who asked him to assassinate Israeli officials for a fee. They asked him to carry out further tasks, such as secretly transferring money and weapons and photographing populated areas. Maman allegedly demanded an advance of 1 million dollars, but this was not granted by the Iranians.
Iranian intelligence is known to use social network platforms in order to recruit Israelis for various espionage missions and coordinate operations. Although some of these operations may initially seem limited in scale, they have the potential to cause substantial harm to the security of the state. It has been reported that a significant portion of Israeli citizens who received suspicious inquiries on social media did not respond to them and did not alert the ISA about them. On the other hand, some agreed to carry out missions on behalf of Iranian intelligence.
► Author: Avner Barnea | Date: 28 October 2024 | Permalink
Dr. Avner Barnea is research fellow at the National Security Studies Center of the University of Haifa in Israel. He served as a senior officer in the Israel Security Agency (ISA). He is the author of We Never Expected That: A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence (Lexington Books, 2021).
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Israeli Foreign Policy k’vanna Against the United Nations
3 Reasons Israel Should Break Off Diplomatic Relations with the UN and Expel It from Israel, Gaza, Samaria, and Lebanon
UN’s Political Bias and Overreach in Israeli Affairs
The UN consistently issues resolutions and reports that reflect anti-Israel bias, creating an environment that treats Israel as if it exists under international oversight or control.
Language in recent UN resolutions mirrors Chapter VII enforcement, even though Israel’s obligations (like UNSCR 242) fall under Chapter VI, requiring peaceful negotiation. The UN’s approach implies it can dictate Israeli policy, undermining Israel’s sovereignty by treating it as a mandate or protectorate territory.
Delegitimization Through Revisionist History and Propaganda
The UN promotes false historical narratives, such as the insistence on a “Palestinian state” that never existed before, while ignoring the fact that the West Bank and Gaza were governed by Jordan and Egypt until 1967.
By endorsing these narratives, the UN not only delegitimizes Israel’s legal and historical claims but also emboldens hostile actors, using diplomatic tools to achieve goals that war failed to accomplish. This rhetoric fuels incitement, destabilizes peace efforts, and encourages violence against Israel.
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UN missions in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Gaza, and the West Bank (such as UNRWA) have been ineffective or biased, failing to curb terrorism while often aiding anti-Israel factions. In Lebanon, UNIFIL has proven incapable of preventing Hezbollah from rearming and preparing for future conflict.
The presence of UN bodies constrains Israel’s ability to act decisively in securing its borders and fighting terrorism. Expelling the UN from these regions would give Israel greater freedom to control strategic areas without interference or international pressure.
Breaking off relations with the UN and expelling its agencies from Israel, Gaza, Samaria, and Lebanon would allow Israel to reassert its sovereignty and pursue its security interests without external interference. The current UN presence serves as a political and operational obstacle to peace by promoting one-sided narratives and legitimizing anti-Israel hostility. Severing ties would also send a message that Israel will not be dictated to by an organization that undermines its existence and security.
Looks like thorough, open and shut cases against all these Iranian organized suspects. Social media recruiting may invite counter-intelligence penetration.
Of course Mossad is also suspected of organizing (via motorbike and other) assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, for years, inside Iran.