Arab Israeli Sentenced to Nearly Four Years for Spying for Iran
A Haifa District Court has sentenced Fares Abu Al-Hija, 32, to 55 months in prison for espionage activities on behalf of Iran. Abu Al-Hija, from Kafr Kanna, was convicted of contacting a foreign agent after carrying out various tasks for an Iranian intelligence operative in exchange for payments, often transferred via the Binance app.
Among his tasks, Abu Al-Hija procured and hid mobile phones and chargers in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, activated them, installed communication apps, and documented their hiding places for his handler. He was also instructed to deliver an envelope containing a crypto account access code in Zichron Yaakov and photograph a cafe in Tel Aviv.
In January 2026, Abu Al-Hija was tasked with traveling to the community of Amikam and photographing streets near the home of former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. After completing the photography and sending the images to his handler, he was arrested on the spot.
The court found that Abu Al-Hija continued his activities even when he suspected he was working for a foreign agent but did not investigate further. Security officials have expressed concern that dozens of similar espionage cases for Iran may remain undiscovered.
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