Sixteen suspected pedophiles were arrested by law enforcement this week following an undercover operation, the Israel Police announced Monday, adding that sexual assault charges have already been filed against two of them.

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Agent R. had been working undercover for several months, gathering evidence on the suspects, ranging in age from 20 to 60. The suspects were arrested by officers from the Jerusalem District and are being held in custody.

R. worked to lure the pedophiles online by pretending to be a 13-year-old girl. Within a short time, she was contacted by several suspects, who later began committing sexual offenses.

During the arrest of one of the suspects in Jerusalem, police officers were stoned by a crowd that gathered outside the suspect's house. In addition, it found that a kindergarten was being illegally operated from his home.

After the suspects were in custody, the police held a special ceremony in which agent R. was presented with a special citation by Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai and Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman.

Shabtai praised the agent's work, which is "of paramount importance," and said the police would "arrest and prosecute anyone who exploits the innocence of a child… We will continue to invest our resources and smarts into eradicating the phenomenon that has, unfortunately, been on the rise."

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Litzman is suspected of having organized a panel of experts to issue a psychiatric opinion that would have allowed Malka Leifer, an ultra-Orthodox woman facing 74 charges of sexual abuse against minors in Australia, to evade justice by declaring her unfit for trial.

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According to reports, Litzman threatened state psychiatrists with dismissal if they did not rule in favor of Leifer.

In another case, Litzman is suspected of having tried to influence the detention conditions of another convicted sex offender in Israel.

Sources close to Litzman said in March that he was "under heavy pressure from rabbis to help Leifer."

Litzman, who was raised in Brooklyn, New York, has the title of deputy health minister only to avoid hurting the sensibilities of the ultra-Orthodox community, the radical parts of which do not recognize the legitimacy of a secular Jewish state, and serves as Israel's de facto health chief.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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Nearly 200 first responders raced to the four-alarm fire that raged at the home on East 17th Street in Midwood. The flames decimated Rabbi Jonathan Max's home and spread to two neighboring houses. Thirteen people, including a newborn baby, were injured. Authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening, but 12 people were taken to the hospital, including nine civilians, two firefighters, and an EMS medic.

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According to New York Post, investigators found evidence of arson, including surveillance video from a nearby home that shows a person pouring a liquid around a car parked by Max's home.

According to the Daily News, authorities quickly identified a suspect – Menachem Karelefsky – a Pittsburgh resident, who also goes by the name "Matthew," and who has held a grudge against Max, a teacher at the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva, whom he accused of being a pedophile.

The rabbi's son told the Daily News that Karelefsky was "a psychopath."

"He said he was going to make an attempt on my dad's life," Ezra Max said. "He's a sick individual who needs help."

A Midwood resident, Shimon Gifter, told the Daily News that Karelefsky had threatened to kill the rabbi for years.

"He lives in Pittsburgh, but people saw him around the neighborhood yesterday," Gifter said. "He was asking people where Rabbi Max is, 'I want to kill him.' But people didn't believe him. He's been saying stuff like that for 10 years. He said to me, 'I want him to drop dead.'"

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