Allegedly Contact With Iranian Agents And Provide Sensitive Information, Five Israelis Are Charged

Illustration. (Unsplash/Tetiana SHYSHKINA)

JAKARTA - An alleged Iranian intelligence agent posing as a Jew living in Iran persuaded five Israelis via social media to provide sensitive information that includes photos of a US diplomatic mission, Israel's counter-intelligence agency said on Wednesday.

The four women and a man charged in the investigation were described in Israeli media reports as Jewish immigrants from Iran, the arch-enemy of Israel, or their descendants.

Shin Bet's agency said in a statement it had been charged with "serious crimes" over the past month in connection with their contacts with "Rambod Nambar" on Facebook and WhatsApp.

From details in the agency's statement, the alleged Iranian agents ensnared people who did not have direct access to classified information, and it said three of them were grandmothers.

"I congratulate the Shin Bet and the Israeli police on the successful operation to thwart hostile terrorist activity," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement.

He warned Israel that Iran may be behind "information you consume or share on social media".

On Israel's Channel 12 TV, a lawyer for one of the women arrested said her client, who emigrated from Tehran in the early 1990s, thought 'Rambod' was the affluent Jewish resident of Tehran.

"She said she really wanted to come to Israel and wanted to see pictures of the country," said lawyer Sarit Katlovsky.

Materials provided by some of the suspects included photos of the US diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv, polling stations, Interior Ministry offices, and shopping malls, the Shin Bet said.

The Shin Bet said some women received money from 'Rambod' and chose to stay in touch with him even though they suspected he might be an Iranian agent.

At the same time, the Shin Bet said the suspect's name could not be made public, under a court order.

To note, Iran has long accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of running agents in the country, carrying out sabotage and assassinations aimed at hindering Tehran's nuclear program. Iran denies Israel's accusations that it is seeking nuclear weapons.