Tel Aviv man arrested for helping coordinate Iranian missile attacks

Police arrest Israeli man who helped direct Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel during the June war in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.

By World Israel News Staff

An Israeli man was arrested last week on suspicion of aiding Iran during the 12-day war this past June, authorities said Monday afternoon.

The suspect, a 27-year-old resident of Tel Aviv, was arrested Thursday in a joint operation of the Shin Bet security agency and the Cybercrime Division of the Tel Aviv District Police after a months-long investigation.

During the arrest operation, officers raided the suspect’s home, seizing “digital evidence” and 18 mobile device SIM cards, which the suspect is believed to have used to communicate with his handlers in Iran.

Following his interrogation, the suspect’s detention was extended until Monday.

At the end of a hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, a judge decided to release the suspect to his home without house arrest.

Police and the Shin Bet say the suspect carried out a number of missions on behalf of Iranian intelligence agencies, including photographing a number of sites in Tel Aviv and neighboring cities, such as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Avramovitz Garden in the Bavli neighborhood of Tel Aviv

During the June war between Israel and Iran, the suspect allegedly photographed missile impact sites, including the scene of a strike on Jabotinsky Street in Ramat Gan. During the war, Iran used details regarding the precise locations of the ballistic missile impacts to increase the accuracy of its attacks.

Authorities say the suspect was paid thousands of shekels in cryptocurrency through digital wallets operated by his Iranian handlers.

The police and Shin Bet warned Israelis in a joint statement that Iranian agents continue their efforts to enlist Israelis via social media, often beginning with seemingly innocuous missions.

“The police and the Shin Bet emphasize that intelligence and terrorist elements continue their efforts, through social media, to recruit Israelis to advance terrorist activity in Israel.”