The wave of arrests of Israelis suspected of spying for Iran continues. The police's national serious crimes unit and the Shin Bet security agency have arrested three Israeli citizens in two separate cases on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian operatives that could endanger national security.
About two weeks ago, Mark Morgain, a 33-year-old resident of the Jordan Valley, was arrested on allegations that he had been in contact with hostile intelligence elements during June. Investigators say he carried out various tasks under the direct guidance of an Iranian handler.
According to the Shin Bet, Morgain agreed to retrieve a grenade from a concealed location and transfer it to another destination, fully aware that it was intended for use in an attack on civilians at the behest of foreign enemies. He also allegedly filmed and transmitted a video of an Israeli air defense interception during Operation Firm as a Lion.
In a separate case, also investigated by the police's national serious crimes unit, two residents of Tiberias were arrested: Yoni Segal, 18, and Nahorai Omri Mizrahi, 20. The two are suspected of having maintained contact with Iranian intelligence agents over the past two months and of carrying out several assignments on their behalf.
Authorities say Segal and Mizrahi recorded video footage of shopping malls - including the Grand Canyon in Haifa, Big Fashion in Tiberias, and the Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv - as well as Ichilov Hospital. They allegedly relayed information about the number of security guards at the sites, the number of shops, and the layout of the buildings. They also shared their real-time locations while on missions and reportedly urged their handler to assign them more tasks.
In what officials describe as an especially grave development, the suspects were allegedly approached with an offer of several hundred thousand shekels to assassinate an unidentified Israeli citizen. They were told they would be required to travel to another country for operational training before receiving the name of the intended target.
On Monday, the police submitted a statement of claim to the court, signaling the prosecution's intention to file serious charges. The Petach Tikva Magistrate's Court extended the suspects' remand by 30 days.
