Haifa Man Charged With Spying for Iran During the War for Thousands of Shekels

Haifa District prosecutors have filed a serious indictment against 44-year-old Ra'in Othman of Haifa, accusing him of spying for Iranian intelligence for months, including during the war. According to the indictment, the contact began early this year through Telegram, after which Othman carried out a series of assignments for a foreign handler who passed sensitive information to the enemy about strategic sites and people in Israel.

The charges say Othman gathered security-procedure information about Israeli ports, documented several locations in the Haifa area, and followed and filmed a car route near Nשר. In one case, he also sent his handler photos and the exact location of a person he was with abroad. Prosecutors say he later fully understood he was dealing with an Iranian operative and suspected the material could harm Israel’s security, but continued anyway.

His activity peaked around sensitive security events. Days before the launch of Operation “Roar of the Lion,” he was asked to reach a location in Haifa and photograph the area for 3,000 shekels, but withdrew at the last moment. After the military operation began, he did go to another photographing point in the Ein HaYam neighborhood of Haifa, took pictures, and sent them to the Iranian handler.

For all of this, prosecutors say he received only about 2,500 shekels in total, paid in cryptocurrency. The indictment portrays the alleged spying as long-running, deliberate, and carried out for a relatively small sum.