Rahaf 433 officer reveals how police captured Israeli spy Iran, the motive for espionage

“These cases reflect a broader phenomenon that began with the outbreak of war and Iranian agents showed a strong motivation to recruit from within Israel,” Peretz said.

An unsettling trend began to form in the Israel-Hamas war that broke out on October 7, 2023: Iranian agents recruited Israeli citizens for espionage purposes.

This development took place during the war and endangered national security. Thanks to intelligence provided by Israeli police and investigations, 25 cases of espionage involving Israeli people working in Iranian intelligence agencies.

Prosecution has been filed and 40 Israelis are expected to face charges. Of these cases, 17 were managed by the national department of state serious and international crime investigations, while serious and international crime investigations were conducted in Rahaf 433, while eight were handled by central units in various police districts.

In each case, investigators successfully collected evidence that led to the suspect's arrest. Lieutenant Colonel Sarit Peretz, head of the security department at Rahaf No. 433, shared his insights on the matter with Maariv.

“So far, our department has handled 17 spy cases,” Colonel Peretz said. “These cases reflect a broader phenomenon that began with the outbreak of war, with Iranian agents showing a strong motivation to recruit from within Israel.”

She continued: “The first case we found involved a young Haredi man, from Beit Shemesh in July 2024. At the time, it seemed to be an isolated incident. It is not clear that this is part of a larger trend until another important case is discovered. That's the case. It has attracted attention to the phenomenon, with several suspects comparing to the past two years.

Colonel Peretz further explained: “Since then we started to involve two or three suspects, all related to Iran. Most of these connections began on social media platforms. Initially, it was obvious that they were Iranian operating measures, and sometimes they quickly formed these connections to ISRA as journalists or friendly or romantic connections.

Money is the main motivation

When asked if the motive of the suspect was always financially, Peretz confirmed: “Yes, always. Motive is money – money with money. They are out of a desire to get payments as soon as possible. There is also anonymous question – getting money from people they don't know.”

Peretz further explained that the money is usually transferred through digital cryptocurrencies: “To be precise, the use of cryptocurrencies makes for greater anonymity and ease of transfer.”

Rahaf 433 network unit is the key to the success of the survey

Peretz highlighted the key role of the Lahav 433 network unit, which specializes in digital wallets: “When studying digital wallets, our network units are the most professional sectors among Israeli police. They have the expertise, global networks, and the necessary tools to track fund transfers and open digital wallets.”

Types of missions assigned by Iran to Israeli suspects

“The tasks assigned to the Israelis are carried out in the phase,” Peretz said. “This starts with the ID card task – making the individual really Israeli. They are asked to provide ID cards and other personal details to verify their identity. Once the operator is met, the task becomes more personal. Israelis are asked to take pictures of themselves and even supermarket products, or to photograph certain streets.

She continued: “As the relationship deepens, missions escalate: graffiti, such as 'The Child of the Spirit of Allah' or 'Bibi dictator', burning the IDF uniform, tainting the Israeli flag, and eventually, these tasks become more dangerous: In some cases, requiring the creation of a military base or strategic location. In some cases, the suspect is to endanger or participate in the operation of the enterprise, or participate in the operation of the weapon.

“No one left the country to train,” Peretz confirmed. “We arrested the suspects before that. However, some people are willing to go to places like Cyprus or Greece, and their idea is that they can reach Iran by sea. They even explored how to leave Israel without attracting attention.”

Cooperation between police and Shin Bet

Peretz stressed the importance of cooperation between Israeli police and Shin Bet: “When we identified the Israeli elements of contact with Iranian surgical staff, we and Shin Bet acted quickly. Our goal was to assess the extent of potential damage. Many people caused significant injuries before they were arrested. The ports were monitored for information on ships entering and leaving Israel.

In addition, Peretz explained that not all spy cases were handled by Lahav 433. “The central police departments in various regions are also involved in these serious cases due to a large number of cases,” she said.

“These units have experience in organized crime investigations and, like us, they work with Shin Bet.”

“The amount involved ranges from 800,000 shekels to 1 million shekels,” Peretz said.

The suspect's defense

“Most suspects do not deny their involvement,” she noted. “They acknowledge the cases we exposed but try to distance themselves by claiming they do not intend to harm Israel. They often think they do not fully understand the consequences of their actions.”

“While one or two suspects expressed dissatisfaction with the state, it was not an ideology,” Peretz said. “Most suspects claimed they love Israel. But their motivation was always about easy money, and they didn't fully consider the meaning of their actions.”