A former IDF soldier who served in a classified unit during both his mandatory and reserve service has been accused of spying for Iran and attempting to pass sensitive information to the country's intelligence services, in a case that remains largely under a court-imposed gag order.
The investigation, conducted jointly by the Israel Police's Lahav 433 major crimes unit, the Defense Ministry's security division (Malmab), and the ISA, found that the suspect allegedly maintained contact with a person who identified himself as an Iranian intelligence operative. Investigators say he was also asked at one stage to recruit another soldier to establish contact with the same network. While most details of the case remain classified, a senior source familiar with the investigation described it to Kan News as one of the most serious security breaches uncovered involving a sensitive IDF unit.
The ISA, Malmab, the IDF, and Israel Police issued a joint warning urging Israelis to avoid contact with hostile foreign entities or unidentified individuals claiming to represent them. "We once again warn the citizens and residents of the State of Israel against maintaining contact with foreign entities from enemy countries or unidentified entities. We call on the public to report any suspicious or unusual contact to the relevant law enforcement authorities."
The suspect's attorney rejected the allegations, describing the case as "an isolated incident involving, at most, carelessness."
"It is regrettable that a person who devoted his life to the security of the state at significant personal cost now finds himself accused of security offenses and imprisoned as though he were a terrorist. There is no claim that my client acted out of malicious intent, greed, or any desire to harm the security of the State of Israel."
"This was an unsuccessful joke, nothing more. The facts do not establish the offenses attributed to my client, and we will demonstrate that once the evidence is disclosed. It is regrettable that this is being done at the expense of devoted citizens who did nothing wrong."
The case is the latest in a series of recent security investigations involving current and former members of Israel's security establishment. Earlier this year, authorities filed indictments against a civilian and an IDF reservist accused of using classified military information to place bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket. Prosecutors alleged the reservist accessed sensitive operational information through his military service and shared it with the civilian, who used it for gambling purposes.
That investigation, conducted by the Israel Prison Service, Malmab, and Israel Police, resulted in charges including serious security offenses, bribery, and obstruction of justice.