Israeli Indicted for Photographing Bases for Iran

An Israeli citizen from the northern town of Mazra'a was indicted on Sunday for carrying out photography and intelligence-gathering missions for Iranian intelligence operatives, following a joint investigation by the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police.

The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office filed what police described as a serious indictment against Wissam Ghaleb Saleh Awad in Haifa Magistrate's Court. It also asked that he be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings.

Awad was arrested and questioned on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent and of carrying out missions that harmed state security. The investigation opened in October and was run in close cooperation between the Shin Bet and the central investigative unit of the police's Asher region in northern Israel.

Detectives from the unit, together with other security forces, raided Awad's home, arrested him and seized mobile phones and computers. According to the investigation's findings, he contacted Iranian operatives on his own initiative through the Telegram messaging app and offered them his services.

Chief Inspector Lahat Sharikar (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Unit)

According to the joint statement, Awad acted out of ideological motives and a desire for revenge, and received no payment. He also expressed identification with terror organizations such as Hezbollah. His missions included photographing strategic facilities, military bases and police stations. He then passed the footage and location coordinates to his handlers for future use.

His detention was extended several times during the investigation. Prosecutors filed the indictment on Sunday morning, once questioning was complete and, in the words of the statement, a solid evidentiary basis had been established.

Police and the Shin Bet said they view any involvement by Israeli citizens in activity that endangers state security with great severity. "We will continue to act with determination, through joint efforts and with zero tolerance, to thwart and bring the full force of the law against anyone acting on behalf of Iran and terror groups," the joint statement said.

The case is the latest in a string of espionage affairs exposed in recent months. Earlier this month, two Iranian nationals in Britain were reportedly convicted of assisting Iranian intelligence after tracking critics of the Tehran regime and a pro-Israel lawyer. A senior American soldier was also reportedly arrested in Britain on suspicion of spying for Russia, in a case that involved the FBI.