(Illustrative) Silhouette on the Iranian flag. (Photo source: Shutterstock)
In the past year, 25 cases of Iran’s recruitment attempt have been found, leading to serious charges against 35 indictments against Israeli citizens.
The National Public Foreign Affairs Agency and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) launched a national propaganda campaign on Wednesday warning Israelis Iran to attempt to recruit intelligence and security-related tasks.
Called “Easy Money, Heavy Price”, the campaign will run on radio, websites and social media and is designed to raise awareness about the phenomenon and stop potential collaborators. It also aims to articulate legal consequences, which can include serious security crimes, with up to 15 years in prison.
According to Shin Bet, 25 cases of Iran’s recruitment attempt have been found in the past year, resulting in more than 35 indictments against Israeli citizens, with serious charges. Many people who are close are said to be motivated by financial interests.
Rahaf 433 officials reveal Iran behind Israeli spies
Of these cases, 17 were managed by the national department of state serious and international crime investigations, while serious and international crime investigations were conducted in Rahaf 433, while eight were handled by central units in various police districts.
In each case, investigators successfully collected evidence that led to the suspect’s arrest. Lieutenant Colonel Sarit Peretz, head of the security department at Rahaf No. 433, shared his insights on the matter with Maariv.
Illustrative image of Iranian agents on the background of Iran flag. (Credit: Shutterstock)
“So far, our department has handled 17 spy cases,” Colonel Peretz said. “These cases reflect a broader phenomenon that began with the outbreak of war, with Iranian agents showing a strong motivation to recruit from within Israel.”
She continued: “The first case we found involved a young Haredi man, from Beit Shemesh in July 2024. At the time, it seemed to be an isolated incident. It is not clear that this is part of a larger trend until another important case is discovered. That’s the case. It has attracted attention to the phenomenon, with several suspects comparing to the past two years.
Colonel Peretz further explained: “Since then we started to involve two or three suspects, all related to Iran. Most of these connections began on social media platforms. Initially, it was obvious that they were Iranian operating measures, and sometimes they quickly formed these connections to ISRA as journalists or friendly or romantic connections.
When asked if the motive of the suspect was always financially, Peretz confirmed: “Yes, always. Motive is money – money with money. They are out of a desire to get payments as soon as possible. There is also anonymous question – getting money from people they don’t know.”
Peretz further explained that the money is usually transferred through digital cryptocurrencies: “To be precise, the use of cryptocurrencies makes for greater anonymity and ease of transfer.”
The campaign is underway in an assessment that Iran will seek to increase recruitment efforts after action added to the lion. The government urges citizens to report any suspicious contacts to the police.
The campaign was carried out by the Israeli government advertising company Lapam.
Maariv contributed to the report.
