Israeli Man Sentenced to 4.5 Years for Spying for Iran

The Haifa District Court has sentenced Fares Abu Alheijaa, a resident of Kafr Kanna in northern Israel, to four and a half years in prison for spying for Iran. Alheijaa, 32, was convicted of espionage and making contact with a foreign agent as part of a plea deal. According to the indictment, between October 2025 and January 2026, Alheijaa communicated via Telegram with an individual he knew as "Martin," carrying out various tasks for payment, which was transferred through the Binance app. He allegedly performed these tasks despite suspecting he was dealing with a foreign agent and deliberately avoided clarifying this suspicion.

Alheijaa's assignments included purchasing and hiding cell phones and chargers in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, activating the devices, installing communication apps, documenting their locations, and sending this information to his handler. He was also instructed to deliver an envelope containing a crypto account access code in Zichron Yaakov and to photograph a cafe in Tel Aviv. The prosecution sought a sentence of five to eight years, citing financial motives, the timing during wartime, and the high potential for damage. The defense argued the acts were not of the highest severity, that Alheijaa was unaware of the connection to former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's home, and that his motives were not ideological.

In his sentencing, Judge Avi Levy noted Alheijaa's planned and continuous actions, emphasizing the significant potential harm due to the intelligence gathering aimed at undermining state security. The judge stated Alheijaa received approximately $3,600 for his services and chose not to investigate his handler's identity. However, the court also considered Alheijaa's confession, remorse, clean criminal record, and the difficult health conditions of his parents, which influenced the final sentence. In addition to the prison term, Alheijaa received a two-year suspended sentence.