Israel says Iran-backed plot targeting defense, intel chiefs foiled

As Iran-backed plots in Israel continue to escalate, a man has been arrested as part of a mission to target the head of Shin Bet intelligence services and the country’s former defense minister.

A statement on Thursday said: “Shin Bet and Tel Aviv Police Headquarters arrested a Petah Tikva resident who carried out missions for the Iranians. The investigation revealed that the suspect was asked to photograph the home of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and also offered to photograph the home of MK Benny Gantz.”

The man was named as 26-year-old Daniel Ki Tov. Israel Police said: “The investigation revealed that for several months, Daniel had been in contact with an Iranian official and, under his direction, carried out dozens of cases of spraying graffiti in the Petah Tikva and Rosh HaAyin areas for payment.”

Last year, the number of Iran-backed plots shot up by 400%, with at least 27 Israelis arrested in cash for action plots, which often began with small tasks such as spraying graffiti, before escalating into more sinister actions including photographing sensitive military and nuclear facilities and the homes of top political and military figures, into assassination plots.

“The investigation also revealed that Daniel was asked to photograph the home of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, to photograph military bases, and was even asked if he knew any pilots in the Air Force, but he did not carry out these tasks,” the police statement added.

“The investigation also revealed that Daniel, on his own initiative, offered to photograph the home of MK Benny Gantz [the former defense minister], but this task was not carried out.”

The rise in cases has been unprecedented in a country known for its resilience to foreign infiltration but amid a rising economic crisis, Iran has found a section of the population vulnerable to the financial incentives.

“According to suspicion, Daniel realized that he was in contact with an Iranian operator, based, among other things, on media publications on the subject and searches he conducted in this regard,” added the police statement.

A serious indictment will be filed against him in the Lod District Court for the offense of contact with a foreign agent.

Asher Ben Artzi, the former head of Israeli Interpol and a research associate at The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, told Iran International the situation is escalating to a worrying degree.

"In the past, there were those among us who said that the tasks they assigned to their Israeli recruits were simple and insignificant tasks, such as spraying anti-Netanyahu writing on a wall.

"But notice the escalation and increase in the quality of the tasks they assign to the recruits. They have already asked to shoot someone and can achieve a perfect elimination.

"The escalation of tasks now, namely photographing the house of Ronen Bar and Gantz, is the leading line in their intelligence activity in Israel. It is no longer about writing something on the wall, this is about the house of the head of the Shin Bet."

Israeli intelligence analyst, Ronen Solomon, said Iran has begun to turn the tables on the Jewish state.

"Israel has done this kind of plot for years with the aim of deterring the Quds Force from carrying out terrorist operations and even exposing the causes of arms transfers from Iran to Syria," he told Iran International.

"Iran's counter-intelligence, it turns out, learned the methods of operation and now operates in the same way, by recruiting locals and, when it comes to foreign operations, by recruiting foreigners."