WANA (Oct 16) – Israel’s Attorney General’s Office has filed a serious indictment against a man accused of transferring classified security information to an “Iranian agent” via the Telegram messaging app.

 

According to Israeli media reports, the Haifa District Court received the indictment on Thursday against Ahmad Shihab, a 32-year-old resident of Jisr al-Zarqa, who is charged with providing sensitive security information to a foreign entity allegedly linked to Iran.

 

The Hebrew-language Channel Kan reported: “According to the indictment, Shihab contacted an individual on Telegram who introduced himself as a German journalist. The person offered to pay him for information about missile strike locations inside Israel. Shihab later realized that the person behind this contact was an Iranian operative, but continued his cooperation nonetheless.”

 

The report added that Shihab collected dozens of news reports from Israeli media outlets containing detailed information on the locations of missile impacts, the extent of the damage, and field recordings. “He allegedly provided around 40 pieces of information to the Iranian operative and received about 200 shekels through the PayPal online payment service,” the report said.

Arrest of Israeli Soldier Accused of Spying for Iran

Arrest of Israeli Soldier Accused of Spying for Iran. Social media/ WANA News Agency

According to Kan, “The Iranian agent later asked the defendant to take the cooperation to the next level by photographing missile impact sites across northern Israel. To do this, the agent sent him a dedicated camera, which never arrived. The agent then instructed Shihab’s father to deliver the payment in cash instead. Shihab was directed to a café in Haifa, where a courier handed him an envelope containing nearly 3,000 shekels in cash.”

 

The Israeli Attorney General’s Office stated: “Shihab’s actions crossed a red line and harmed Israel’s security during wartime. The indictment includes serious charges of contact with a foreign agent and the transmission of information that could assist an enemy. This act endangered Israel’s security, and we will pursue the harshest possible prosecution.”

 

The news comes as Israeli officials have admitted that cases of Israeli citizens spying for Iran have reached an alarming level.