Policy

On Iranian Orders: Israeli Newspaper Reveals Details of Assassination Attempt on Minister Katz


Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz reportedly survived an assassination attempt last April, according to revelations made today.

According to The Times of Israel, Israeli authorities arrested an Israeli citizen last April on suspicion of gathering intelligence for Iran. He was allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, marking the latest development in Iran’s growing espionage campaign within Israel.

No official comment has been issued by Iranian authorities regarding the Israeli media reports.

Channel 12 reported that the suspect, 24-year-old Roy Mizrahi, had placed powerful explosives near Katz’s home in the town of Kfar Ahim as part of an “Iranian plot to assassinate him.”

He is charged with “aiding the enemy during wartime.” The report stated that the explosives were intended to detonate when Katz passed by, and that Iranian agents came “very close to succeeding.”

However, the report did not clarify how close the explosives were to Katz’s residence or whether they were active, suggesting that Mizrahi may not have reached the final stage of the operation.

The report added that the plot against Katz was one of several Iranian plans to target senior Israeli officials during wartime.

It described how Mizrahi was recruited via a Telegram channel and managed to persuade his friend, Almog Atias, to assist him.

Atias, also 24, was arrested along with Mizrahi in April, following a joint investigation by Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet and the police’s Lahav 433 serious crimes unit. Both are residents of Nesher, near Haifa.

Initially, the two men filmed various sites, including the Shin Bet headquarters and the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, “at the request of an Iranian agent named Alex,” according to Channel 12.

They were later instructed to install two spy cameras in Katz’s hometown of Kfar Ahim. They retrieved the devices from a house in Holon but abandoned the mission after spotting a flashing security vehicle. They discarded the cameras in some bushes.

According to the same source, Mizrahi was also asked to assassinate a scientist at the Weizmann Institute for one million dollars. He refused after “Alex” declined to pay him half the amount in advance.

Later, another Iranian agent named Getz allegedly contacted Mizrahi and tasked him with placing explosives near Katz’s home. Mizrahi reportedly took a blue bag containing the explosives and transported it to a location near the minister’s house, receiving payment in cryptocurrency.

The report claims Mizrahi even brought a block of explosives back to his home.

His lawyer told Channel 12 that he was a foolish young man who caused no harm to national security.

After his arrest earlier this year, Israeli officials said Mizrahi had been in contact with Iranian operatives throughout 2025 and had carried out several security-related missions — some alongside Atias — fully aware that they were acting under Iranian direction.

Supervisor Maor Goren said in a Saturday report that “during the recent 12-day war with Iran, it became increasingly clear that Tehran was targeting sites that had been previously filmed by Israeli spies.”

Israeli media have reported a recent increase in the number of Israelis arrested and charged with espionage for Iran.

Last week, three Israelis were arrested amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Hebrew media reported that one suspect had gathered intelligence on the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, while another was believed to have filmed homes of government officials and military bases.

In May, 18-year-old Moshe Atias from Yavne was accused of spying on former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett while he was hospitalized.

In January, Israeli authorities announced the arrest of two army reservists, Yuri Eliasov and Georgi Andreev, both aged 21, accused of transferring sensitive information about the Iron Dome missile defense system to Iran.

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