Israeli soldiers working for Iranian intelligence spied on the Iron Dome
February 17, 2025 3 Comments
LAST MONTH, ISRAEL ARRESTED two reservists following an investigation that lasted several months and centered on uncovering espionage for an Iranian state entity during wartime. The two reservists had completed their regular military service before joining the reserves.
The two soldiers, identified as Yuri Eliasfov and Georgi Andreyev, held sensitive positions, and a least one was serving as a member of staff in Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. The soldier serving in the Iron Dome is accused by the police, the Israel Security Agency (ISA), and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), of aiding the enemy during wartime, for which the penalty is life imprisonment or death without the discretion of the court. A prosecutor’s statement has been filed against the two soldiers.
According to the investigation, the espionage affair began when one of the suspects, who served in a classified security system, sought to make contact with Iranian intelligence on social media. During his search, he contacted an Iranian operator, who asked him to complete various tasks in exchange for payments. The investigation revealed that the two soldiers were recruited by Iranian intelligence through the Internet to carry out missions in exchange for payments.
They two men were initially required to spray anti-government graffiti in Tel Aviv and in Israel’s the northern region. Giorgi Andreyev, fearing the consequences of such actions, withdrew from the operation. “We are working for Iran and doing something dangerous,” he told Eliasfov. Despite this, however, Eliasfov, who is reportedly the main suspect in the case, continued his activities.
The undercover investigation revealed that Eliasfov, who serves in the Iron Dome system, filmed a video while participating in a classified information, which he then sent to his Iranian handler. He received $3,500 from the same Iranian official, while his at-times accomplice received $70. During his interrogation, Eliasfov claimed that he committed the acts due to being in a difficult financial situation and because he sought to obtain money easily.
One of the interesting findings that emerged from the investigation of the suspects was that other soldiers and family members were aware of Eliasfov’s initial actions and warned him that he was connecting himself with Iranian elements. Despite that, Eliasfov continued his espionage activities, which included filming a video from inside an Iron Dome facility. The footage reportedly contained classified material that could significantly endanger the security of the State of Israel. Read more of this post
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Review of “Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics” (Second Edition)
February 19, 2025 by intelNews 2 Comments
Throughout much of the latter part of the 20th century, United States and other Western security services viewed Chinese intelligence and security services as being focused on their own internal security matters. They were not nearly as well-known or recognized as other adversarial intelligence and security services. Nick was one of first experts to shine a light on Chinese intelligence operations. Since that time, he has dedicated his career and untold time and efforts to better understand Chinese intelligence tactics and techniques.
In the second edition of the book, Nick provides a comprehensive analysis and assessment on how the espionage and intelligence threat from China has grown significantly over the past three decades. He explains this in very clear and unambiguous terms to anyone who seeks a better understanding of these threats. This book is a culmination of more 30 years of dedicated research and the analysis of hundreds of cases that involve China. It focuses, not only on traditional espionage cases and operations, but examines motives, techniques and tactics relating to economic espionage, the theft of trade secrets and the theft of academic research and development.
There are a number of detailed case studies and real-life examples in the book, which show it is not only Chinese government organizations that pose a significant threat to United States and Western interests, but also a multitude of actors —e.g., academia, business people and researchers, with access to universities, commercial entities and think tanks. Chinese intelligence operatives conduct activities in all these areas in order to help China fulfill its strategic information and technology requirements and objectives. Nick examines China’s Whole of Society approach to a number of recent traditional and non-traditional collection efforts.
Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics is an absolute must-read for individuals who handle national security matters; for state and local officials who are engaged in discussions with Chinese officials; for American and other Western businesses who are, or who will be, doing business with Chinese counterparts; for those in academia and research institutes involved with technology research and development, and finally for those who seek a better understanding of the threats posed by China’s growing and expanding worldwide presence and intelligence apparatus.
► Author: John N. Wanat* | Date: 19 February 2025 | Permalink
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with book news and reviews, China, espionage, Nicholas Eftimiades