PNN – The Zionist newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has published a report on the Iranian spy network in Israel.
The Zionist newspaper “Yediot Aharonot” has addressed the issue of the expansion of Iran’s spy network inside the occupied territories in a report written by Gilad Cohen, a judicial analyst for the newspaper. A network whose members’ mission, according to this analyst, is not limited to psychological operations, gathering information from Israeli centers, facilities, military systems, and personalities, and has slowly moved towards acts of sabotage, damaging facilities and individuals, filming sensitive centers and prominent personalities, etc.
The Islamic Republic of Iran usually does not release much information on this issue, and statements remain limited to generalities that some people have said or are saying, or news that is published haphazardly, but it seems that, as this Israeli newspaper wrote, over the past two years, a vast network of Iranian spies and security collaborators has formed in the occupied territories, which does not only include a specific type of person. This means that a wide range of tastes and strata of Israeli society can be found in this network.
In explaining this method, the author of the report emphasizes that the phishing used by Iran is different from classic phishing. In the usual model, recruitment is done more purposefully and with “hooks,” a more precise method that takes more time and involves a limited number of people. However, according to Cohen, Iran has used “nets” instead of hooks. This means that the scope of communication is very broad, and messages and suggestions are sent widely without focusing on a specific goal.
In this method, from among the large number of people who respond to these communications, those most likely to cooperate are selected; an approach that, although perhaps less accurate, allows for the rapid expansion of the espionage network and indicates Iran’s focus on increasing the number of forces in the first stage.
This method shows that Iran is rapidly expanding its network, and this is a great danger to the Zionist government, which is also struggling with various protests and unrest these days.
According to the report, one should not be fooled by ordinary actions such as hanging leaflets on walls or writing slogans by Iranian spies. These are only initial measures to measure the level of skill of the personnel, and the measures will gradually become more serious.
The author of the report says that 60 suspects have been arrested so far and 35 indictments have been issued in court, but the number of individuals is likely much higher (Cohen says some indictments were issued for groups of 7 or more).
The author, of course, believes that Israeli counterintelligence agencies are doing their utmost to prevent the expansion of this network, but it is very difficult to identify a specific type of Israeli society that cooperates with Iran.
As Cohen wrote, all of these spies received money, often through money changers or crypto currencies, and in one case, the accused was a young man living in the Golan Heights who had himself established contact with Iran.
Yedioth Ahronoth analyst says that Iran’s goals in employing spies inside Israel are not limited to one or two specific goals but include a chain of actions – from creating chaos (which the author believes is Iran’s main goal) to carrying out terrorist operations.
He also cited an example and said: The mission of some of the defendants was to harm the prime minister or nuclear scientists working at the Weizmann Institute. (The Weizmann Institute is the same center that was heavily targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles during the 12-day war.)