The Shin Bet and Israel Police’s Central District major crimes unit have blown the lid off yet another Iranian recruitment operation targeting Israeli citizens, announcing the arrests of two young men from the country’s heartland who allegedly served Tehran’s intelligence handlers for months.

The primary suspect, Sagi Haik, 19, from Ness Ziona, was detained earlier this year after a covert investigation revealed he had been in sustained online contact with an Iranian foreign agent. Investigators allege he had been in contact for several months with an Iranian agent through online channels, during which he provided identifying personal information about himself and members of his family. He also agreed to carry out training in an Arab country and was asked to recruit additional individuals to assist in tasks directed by the Iranian handler.

Several family members began receiving direct threatening messages from the Iranian agent, but despite this, Haik continued the relationship. Rather than going to authorities, he pressed on, eventually pulling in a friend, Asaf Shitrit, 21, a resident of Beit Oved, a moshav in central Israel, to help carry out at least one assignment for Tehran. Shitrit was arrested once Haik confessed his role during Shin Bet questioning.

Authorities say a serious indictment is expected to be filed against both suspects in the Central District Court in Lod, with charges reflecting the gravity of serious security offenses committed on behalf of a hostile foreign state.

Iranian intelligence has massively scaled up its digital recruitment campaign against Israelis, using Telegram, social media and encrypted messaging platforms to dangle cash, cryptocurrency and the promise of easy money in exchange for surveillance, graffiti, arson and in some cases far more sinister missions. In its annual report published in February, the Shin Bet said 25 Israelis and foreign residents were indicted in 2025 for spying for Iran, while 120 separate Iranian espionage incidents were thwarted that year. The agency also noted that attempts to recruit Israelis rose by 400% in 2025 compared with 2024.

Recent cases paint a disturbing portrait of how Tehran operates. Investigators filed an indictment against a 14-year-old from central Israel accused of carrying out paid assignments for hostile actors he believed were tied to Iran, including spray-painting graffiti, filming near Ichilov Hospital, documenting neighborhoods in Ramat Gan, and recording the Tel Aviv skyline. In another case, a resident of the central city of Rishon LeZion was arrested on suspicion of carrying out surveillance missions under the direction of Iranian intelligence, including photographing near the home of former prime minister Naftali Bennett. The pattern is almost always the same: simple, well-paid “errands” online that slowly escalate into full-scale espionage.

Security officials have repeatedly warned that Iran is deliberately exploiting financial pressure, loneliness and adolescent naivety to weaponize Israeli citizens against their own country. The Shin Bet has urged the public to immediately report any suspicious online approach offering money for unusual tasks, stressing that seemingly harmless assignments are almost always the first rung on a ladder leading to far more dangerous operations.