Northern Israeli Man to Be Charged With Spying for Iran

An indictment is set to be filed against Wisam Ghaleb Saleh Awad, an Israeli resident of Mazra near Nahariya, for contacting a foreign agent and carrying out acts detrimental to state security. He was arrested on suspicion of photographing strategic facilities, military bases, and police stations for Iranian intelligence. The investigation, a joint effort by the Shin Bet and the police's Northern District, began last month. Authorities raided Awad's home, seizing mobile phones and computers. Investigators found that Awad initiated contact with Iranian operatives via Telegram, offering his services for ideological reasons and a desire for revenge, without financial motive, and expressing solidarity with Hezbollah. His arrest has been extended periodically, and the Haifa District Prosecutor's Office will file the indictment along with a request for his detention until the proceedings conclude.

Both the police and the Shin Bet stated they "view very seriously any involvement of Israeli citizens in activities that endanger the country's security, and will continue to act with determination, combined forces, and zero tolerance to thwart and exhaust the full severity of the law against any element acting on behalf of Iran and terror elements." Since the start of the war, dozens of Israeli citizens have been investigated and indicted, some convicted, for spying for Iran. In early October, the Beersheba District Court sentenced Doron Buchbaza, 30, to three years in prison for contacting an Iranian agent, claiming access to the Dimona reactor, and receiving payment for actions performed. He was convicted of contact with a foreign agent as part of a plea deal that capped the prosecution's sentence demand at five years.