Israel: Shin Bet foils Iranian plan to use Israeli spies on Defense Minister Israel Katz

Five months ago, the Times of Israel reported that Iran was “managing to recruit [a] surprising number [of] Jewish Israelis for spying ops.” The sophisticated spy op involved “30 mostly Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran in nine covert cells,” in Iran’s “biggest effort in decades to infiltrate its arch-foe, four Israeli security sources.” Iran’s “unfulfilled goals” included “the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist and former military officials, while one group gathered information on military bases and air defenses.”

The sweeping arrests followed repeated efforts by Iranian intelligence operatives over the past two years to recruit ordinary Israelis to gather intelligence and carry out attacks in exchange for money

Although Israeli intelligence remained superior to that of Iran, and hindered its ability to carry out its objectives, the Islamic regime’s efforts show that it will go to any lengths to carry out its jihadist missions on multiple fronts. Iran is also operating in Europe, where it uses criminal networks as terrorist proxies. And its secret service is actively plotting to kill Jews in Europe.

When countries such as France, Canada and the UK turn on Israel, they are not doing themselves any favors. Instead, they are offering an opportunity and support to the cause of jihad terror, not only against Israel, but globally as well.

“Shin Bet foils Iranian plan to spy on Defense Minister Israel Katz,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, May 20, 2025:

Both Israelis, from the town of Nesher, were lured in by Tehran due to millions in gambling debt and the promise to help pay off their debts.

The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Tuesday announced that it had thwarted a plot by Iran to use two Israelis to spy on Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Roi Mizrahi and Almog Atias, the 24-year-old suspects from Nesher, were lured in by Tehran due to millions in gambling debt and the promise of compensation to help pay it off.

According to the security agency, the two were allegedly involved in receiving and moving an explosive object.

They also allegedly took part in trying to place a surveillance video camera near the entrance to Katz’s hometown of Kfar Ahim.

However, in the case of the surveillance camera, a Shin Bet patrol nearby saw them, leading them to flee before they could set the surveillance camera in place.

This was the second camera they attempted to put up after the two had allegedly set up an earlier one in the Haifa area and provided their Iranian handlers control over it.

Mizrahi and Atias have no prior criminal record.

Their Iranian handlers built up their loyalty slowly with lower-level tasks like filming their own homes or writing and burning a message against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before asking them to do more dangerous and criminal activities.

According to the Shin Bet, their activities for Iran started earlier in 2025, and they were arrested in April.

Further, the agency said it has thwarted more than 20 such plots by Tehran since the start of the current war and that the two suspects are due to be indicted by the prosecution in the coming days.

Katz is the highest ranking officer to date who native Israelis helped Iran plot against during the war.….