Iranian spy discovered in IDF

Israeli soldier charged with espionage, after he was allegedly paid by Iran to film the interception of incoming ballistic missiles and missile impact sites.

By World Israel News Staff

And IDF soldier has been indicted on espionage charges for allegedly working on behalf of the Iranian government, the Shin Bet and Israel Police said in a joint statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, the soldier was taken into custody recently and interrogated over payments he allegedly received from Iranian handlers.

The investigation, which includes the Shin Bet security agency, the police department’s Lahav 433 unit, and army police, found that the suspect “knowingly maintained contact with Iranian elements and carried out tasks for them, including transferring footage of interceptions and filming missile impact sites in Israel.”

The charges, which include contact with an agent working on behalf of a hostile government, were filed on Thursday, and the suspect has been remanded until next Tuesday.

The Shin Bet emphasized that the soldier did not transfer classified information to Iranian agents, and that the materials he did transmit were not acquired from the military.

In a separate case, the Shin Bet and Israel Police announced the arrest of a school teacher accused of spying on behalf of Iran.

The suspect, Tahani Abu Samkhan, 33, is a resident of a Bedouin town in the Negev.

She was arrested last month after she allegedly was in contact with Iranian agents and carried out missions on their behalf, while being fully aware her handlers work for the Iranian government.

Authorities say Abu Samkhan took photographs of the Israeli Air Force’s Nevatim airbase, including filming fighter jets taking off.

On Thursday, the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Abu Samkhan, charging her with contact with a foreign agent and transmitting information to a hostile power.