Israeli authorities said Wednesday they arrested a civilian who served in a “classified unit” during his military service on charges of spying for Iran.
The man, who has not been identified, was indicted July 16 on charges of making contact with a foreign agent and attempting to pass classified information to the enemy, according to a joint statement by Israeli police, the Defense Ministry and Shin Bet, the country’s security service.
“The defendant was in contact with an individual who identified himself as an Iranian intelligence agent,” officials said. “The defendant was even asked to assist in recruiting a soldier to contact [the Iranian agents].”
The statement did not disclose which unit the suspect served with while in the army.
Social media accounts have increasingly become major sources for recruiting Israeli civilians to carry out espionage and terrorist acts against the country, officials said Wednesday.
“It is important to emphasize that any such relationship may amount to a violation of the law from the very beginning,” officials said. “We call on citizens to report any suspicious or unusual contact to law enforcement.”
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