[IsraelTimes] Seven Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, having carried out hundreds of tasks for Tehran, prosecutors say.
The suspects are all Jewish residents of Haifa and the north and include a soldier who deserted the military, as well as two minors. The adult suspects are named as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan.
The suspects are accused of photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, as well as Iron Dome battery sites.
The Nevatim base was targeted in both Iranian missile attacks this year, and Ramat David has been targeted by Hezbollah.
The suspects are also accused of receiving maps of strategic sites from their handlers, including of the Golani base hit in a deadly drone strike earlier this month.
Prosecutors say police and Shin Bet investigators found that the suspects carried out a series of different tasks for Iranian intelligence agencies, and were in contact with Iranian agents.
In return for their actions, the suspects were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, investigators say.
According to prosecutors, some of the suspects have spied for Iran for two years, and all of them have carried out espionage activities since the start of the war.
The State Attorney’s Office says it is one of the most serious cases that has been investigated in recent years.
Prosecutors say they intend to file an indictment against the seven suspects for security offenses on Friday, and will request that they are held in detention until the conclusion of legal proceedings.
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