Arrest of Father and Son in Golan on Suspicion of Spying for the Islamic Republic

Israeli police announced on Friday, December 7, that a father and son from the Druze village of "Mas'ada" in the Golan Heights have been accused of spying for the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet) and police arrested 21-year-old Tahir Safadi and 43-year-old Bassam Safadi in November on suspicion of espionage against Israel for the Islamic Republic during the ongoing war. According to the Jerusalem Post, Tahir Safadi has been accused of espionage, and Bassam Safadi has been issued an administrative detention order (which is often issued due to security threats and without trial). Investigations revealed that the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used these two individuals to gather information about the activities of the Israeli army in the Golan Heights region. The Jerusalem Post reported that Tahir is a software student and was collecting information on behalf of his father. According to the Israeli news website Walla, his father was previously arrested and interrogated eight years ago for inciting violence and terrorism through posts he made on his Facebook page. He is a journalist for the Arabic-language al-Alam network affiliated with the Islamic Republic's broadcasting service, focusing on Israeli oil drilling in the Golan Heights. Tahir collected information about the Israeli army's operations in the Golan Heights and provided it to another journalist from this network who resides in Damascus, who reportedly worked for the Palestinian branch of the Quds Force.