Israeli authorities have announced the arrest of two Israelis suspected of spying for Iran, including one accused of passing classified information obtained during his military service in the air defense to Iran, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Shin Bet (internal security service) and police said they had arrested two residents of the northern part of the country, identified as Yuri Eliaspov and Georgy Andrepev, “on suspicion of security-related crimes“. According to several Israeli media outlets, the two men, both 21 years old, are reservists. They received money for their “missions” and were fully aware that they were working for an enemy of Israel, the Shin Bet and police said.
Much of Israel's security relies on its air defense system, meaning it is rarely hit in sensitive or populated areas by enemy fire.
Enemies since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, Israel and Iran experienced two sudden spikes in tensions in 2024, amid the Gaza war between Israel and "Hamas". In April and October, Tehran attacked Israel, launching several hundred missiles and drones, most of which were intercepted by Israel and its allies.
According to Tehran, the first attack was carried out in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed 16 people on April 1, including seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic.
The second attack, again according to Iran, was intended to avenge the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in late July in Tehran, and the death of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Islamist movement Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli strike south of Beirut in September.