Israeli Intelligence Foils Iranian Espionage Attempts On Social Media

A member of Basij paramilitary forces attends a rally in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran, October 13, 2023.
A member of Basij paramilitary forces attends a rally in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran, October 13, 2023.

Israel's Shin Bet security agency has exposed a covert operation by Iranian operatives attempting to recruit Israelis for espionage via social media.

Posing as fake real estate brokers, drone marketers, and individuals seeking services, the operatives operated on platforms such as X, Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tasks assigned to Israelis included photographing locations and verifying addresses, all in exchange for financial incentives. Trained to spot such cat-fishing during army service, several of the Israelis alerted the authorities.

The Shin Bet said it was familiar tactics of the Iranian security agencies, primarily focusing on intelligence gathering rather than explicit security matters, Iranian digital activities escalating since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7.

“Its purpose is to assist Hamas in its war and to damage Israel’s national resilience and war effort, sowing demoralization and deepening social divisions,” the agency said in a statement.

Shin Bet also uncovered social media pages impersonating Israelis, “making cynical and manipulative use of the issue of the hostages, and even trying to act against families of hostages and bereaved families.”

Screenshots released by Shin Bet show an Iranian operative allegedly soliciting an Israeli for a murder plot, negotiating a payment of 70,000 euros. An audio recording features an Iranian operative speaking in Hebrew, offering $100 to an Israeli for an unspecified task.