Israel accuses two soldiers of spying for Iran

Authorities accuse two soldiers working as F-15 aircraft technicians at Tel Nof Air Base of spying for Tehran, noting that one of them intended to undergo training in an Arab country.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority reported that two servicemen serving at a strategic air base in the center of the country will be charged with spying for Iran during wartime, revealing the extent of Iranian breaches within the Israeli military establishment despite precautions.

On Wednesday evening, the Authority stated: “Two Israeli army soldiers, working as F-15 technicians at Tel Nof Air Base, will be charged with spying for Iran during wartime.” It added that indictments will be filed against the two men for “assistance during wartime,” while “the possibility of aggravating the sentence of one of the suspects on charges of treason is currently under consideration.”

According to suspicions, “they were asked to collect information about former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi (2023–2025) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.” They also allegedly provided the Iranians with documentation including a schematic of Israeli aircraft engines and images showing the face of a flight instructor, according to the same source.

The Authority added: “It is suspected that eight other soldiers were aware of the actions of the two men and did not report them.”

It noted that “following the incident, the air base commander held a meeting with his soldiers regarding information security and informed them that he had been summoned to provide clarification to the internal security service (Shin Bet).”

On Monday, the police and the Shin Bet announced the arrest of Israelis Assaf Shitrit and Sagi Hayek on suspicion of spying for Iran.

According to reports at the time, “the two men were working for Iranian intelligence, and one of them even intended to undergo training in an Arab country.” A serious indictment is expected to be filed against them within hours before the Lod District Court.

On April 6, Israel arrested four of its active-duty soldiers on charges of spying for Iran and photographing sensitive sites.

Over the past two years, Israel has announced the arrest of dozens of its citizens for spying for Iran in exchange for money, according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

For its part, Tehran has managed to uncover several espionage networks and arrest many collaborators with the Mossad, executing some of them after accusing them of facilitating the assassination of several political and military leaders.

On April 8, Washington and Tehran announced a two-week truce, before the Pakistani capital Islamabad hosted, on the 11th of the same month, a round of talks between the two sides without reaching an agreement.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths, before Washington and Tehran announced the truce on April 8 in the hope of reaching an agreement to end the war.