Another Israeli Arrested on Suspicion of Spying for the Iranian Government

On Thursday, March 9, the police and spokesperson for Israel's internal security service (Shin Bet) announced in a joint statement that another Israeli citizen has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Iranian government. According to the Times of Israel, prosecutors intend to file charges against Daniel Kitov, a resident of Petah Tikva, for contacting a foreign agent. Israeli security forces arrested the 26-year-old last month on charges of sabotage under the direction of an Iranian government agent. The police state that Kitov carried out sabotage activities in exchange for money. This Iranian agent also asked Kitov to take photos of military bases and the home of Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, but he did not comply with this request and instead suggested taking photos of the home of Israeli politician Benny Gantz; however, he did not carry out this task either. The Israeli police say that Iranian government agents have increased their efforts on social media platforms to recruit ordinary Israeli citizens as spies, promising them money for carrying out missions. According to this report, in most of these cases, suspects started with small tasks but gradually escalated to more serious crimes such as gathering intelligence and conspiracy to commit murder. Last December, the police arrested nearly 30 Israelis, mostly Jewish citizens, on charges of espionage activities on behalf of the Iranian government.