PNN – A Zionist media outlet has acknowledged the depth of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s intelligence penetration into occupied Palestine.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; the Hebrew-language news site Ynet published a report revealing the large number of Zionists spying for Iran; the report focused on individuals whom the Zionist regime’s security agencies claim were arrested for collaborating with Iran.
However, experts note that the announced list represents only the cases that have been uncovered, and there are undoubtedly many more individuals still actively engaged in such activities.
The report’s introduction notes that—spanning locations from East Jerusalem and Bnei Brak to Beersheba and Lod, and involving individuals ranging from a 13-year-old youth to a 72-year-old man who had even visited Iran—these recruits include soldiers, civilians, and recent immigrants; it is reported that within just two years, Iranian intelligence managed to enlist dozens of Israelis using the simplest of methods—actions that ranged from mere graffiti to infiltrating highly sensitive locations and Israeli military bases.
According to this Hebrew-language media outlet, in September 2024—roughly a year after the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas—Moti (Mordechai) Maman, a 72-year-old resident of Ashkelon, was arrested by security forces. He was accused of establishing contact with a foreign operative after being recruited by Iranian intelligence to track and lay the groundwork for the assassination of officials such as the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and the head of Israel’s internal security service (Shin Bet).
During his interrogations, the accused stated: I don’t know what I would have done if they had placed a million dollars in front of me; after all, we are human, too.
According to the report, nearly two years have passed since then and in the interim, dozens more Israeli nationals have been arrested on charges of spying for Iran.
Some were instructed to photograph the homes of ministers, Knesset members, and prominent former political figures—including Defense Minister Israel Katz and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Others were asked to provide information on Israeli military bases, while some received more direct orders, such as setting vehicles on fire or inciting unrest.
The Zionist media outlet goes on to mention another case that came to light in October 2024, involving two residents of Ramat Gan—Vladislav Viktorson (30) and his wife, Anna Bernstein (18)—who were formally charged. Viktorson was in contact with an Iranian official and, under his direction, carried out various missions such as concealing money and setting fire to vehicles. Viktorson had even agreed to undertake a mission to assassinate a figure in Israel.
About a week later, another case was revealed involving seven Zionist immigrants from the Republic of Azerbaijan, including a father and son.
Scientists Targeted
That same month, seven other individuals—aged 19 to 23 and hailing from the Beit Safafa neighborhood of (occupied) Jerusalem—were arrested on charges of conducting espionage operations for Iran over a period of several months; their primary mission was to assassinate a nuclear scientist and an Israeli mayor.
Later that same month, Asher Benjamin Weiss, a resident of Bnei Brak, was charged with stalking a nuclear scientist with the intent to assassinate him.
On that same day, another case came to light involving Raphael and Lala Gulayev (aged 32 and 29), residents of Lod, who were arrested after carrying out missions for an Iranian network that recruited Israelis of Caucasian descent.
More than a month later, a serious indictment was issued against Tahrir Tasafdi (21), a resident of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. Tasafdi, a software engineering student, had been involved in gathering intelligence on behalf of her father.
A few days later, Artyom Zolotaryov (33) from Nof HaGalil was arrested. Investigations revealed that he had been in contact with an individual named “Eliad,” who had proposed that he engage in graffiti-writing against the government.
In a separate case, Erdler (Israel) Amvil (23) from Jerusalem was detained.
Two other cases were specifically linked to Hezbollah; in the first, Mohammad Saadi (19), from Nazareth, was accused of repeatedly contacting the organization in recent years and even seeking to join its ranks to fight. Another indictment was filed about a year ago against Abd al-Salam and Tha’er Asili (33 and 35), residents of occupied Jerusalem.
Targeting Specific Officials
In early 2025, another espionage case came to light in which Alexander Granovsky (29), a resident of Petah Tikva, was charged. He had taken photographs of the neighborhood where Benny Gantz (leader of the Blue and White party) lives, as well as a power plant in Tel Aviv.
The Zionist media outlet further reported that, during the same month, another dangerous case came to light involving Yuri Ilyasov and Georgy Andreev—two 21-year-old reservists from Kiryat Shmona. Ilyasov had begun spying during his mandatory military service and continued the activity while in the reserves; having served in the Iron Dome system and possessing access to classified information, he had—at the behest of his handlers—filmed the system and broadcast live footage of it.
About a month later, Daniel Ke-Tov (26), from Petah Tikva, was charged with espionage. According to a statement by Israel’s internal security agency (Shin Bet) and the police, he had been asked to photograph the home of Ronen Bar (the former head of Shin Bet) and had also been offered the task of photographing Gantz’s residence.
In March 2026, Doron Buchovzeh (29), a resident of Be’er Sheva and an equipment engineer at a chemical plant in southern Haifa, was arrested on charges of maintaining contact with Iran and offering to sell information. That same month, Edward Yusupov (65), a resident of Netivot, was detained on charges of surveilling and photographing Israeli infrastructure and security facilities.
Last May, the arrest of 18-year-old Moshe Atias, a resident of Yavne, was revealed; he was suspected of gathering information on the hospital where Naftali Bennett was admitted. Concurrently, Roi Mizrahi and Almog Atias (aged 24), residents of Nesher, were arrested after being drawn into espionage activities for Iran due to gambling debts amounting to millions.
They had been instructed to install cameras at various locations, including the community of Kfar Ahim—the place of residence of Israel Katz.
A month later, 28-year-old Haifa resident Dimitri Cohen was arrested. According to interrogators, he had leaked sensitive information, including documents regarding Israeli military bases and the homes of certain elected officials.
According to the news outlet Ynet, another unusual case came to light in June 2026 involving a 13-and-a-half-year-old teenager from Tel Aviv. A statement from the police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) noted: Interrogation revealed that intelligence operatives had recently contacted the teenager via Telegram and, in exchange for payment, asked him to carry out several missions.
Mission to Assassinate a Commander
Last October, Maor Kringel and Tal Omran from Holon were charged with wartime espionage. Kringel had been asked—even while on reserve duty—to assassinate his senior commander in exchange for 100,000 shekels in cryptocurrency. In January 2025, he recruited others, including Tal Omran, to carry out orders from Iran; simultaneously, another 23-year-old was arrested on charges of gathering intelligence for the Iranians.
Last November, Raphael Rovini (22), from Be’er Sheva, was charged with collaborating with an Iranian operative for payment during his military service; simultaneously, charges were filed against Shimon Azarzar (27), who had transmitted classified documents from the Ramat David Airbase to Iran by exploiting his spouse’s reserve military service.
Last December, Amir Malka (36), from Ashkelon, and Vitaly Zvyagintsev (30, a Russian national) were charged with photographing sensitive facilities and military vessels; shortly thereafter, a resident of Rishon LeZion was also charged for photographing the area surrounding Bennett’s home.
The Mount of Olives Case
Last March, Ami Gaidrov (22) and three friends from the Haifa and Kiryat Shmona areas were arrested. Gaidrov was the prime suspect in the manufacture of explosives intended for an assassination attempt on Naftali Bennett. That same month, two Israeli Air Force technicians were arrested on security-related charges. About two months ago, a US national residing in Tel Aviv was also detained on charges of photographing sensitive sites for Iran.
Early last month, an indictment was issued against Behrouz Shokharip Dudobiev—a Tajik national holding a Russian passport—on charges of revealing missile impact sites and photographing the Port of Haifa and the company Elbit Systems.
Later that same month, a soldier serving in a secret Israeli military unit was charged with attempting to pass information to the enemy.
Meanwhile, details regarding more recent cases are coming to light; last Thursday, Tamerlan Amshukov (26) and Alina Kushnirenko (24), a couple residing in Ashkelon, were charged with spying for Iran.
According to the indictment, from April to July 2026, they systematically gathered information on security forces’ residential complexes as well as military and civilian infrastructure in Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, Haifa, and Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The couple was arrested on the very day they intended to carry out another mission in Be’er Sheva.