Israel has launched a national advertising campaign urging its citizens to resist the temptation of spying for Iran, warning that the consequences far outweigh any financial reward.
Titled “Easy Money, Heavy Price,” the campaign, which includes ads on radio, websites and social media, is meant to convince Israelis that spying for the country’s sworn enemy comes at a steep cost. “For 5,000 shekels (€1,280) is it worth ruining your family?” asks one of the video campaigns. “Providing information to the enemy is a serious security crime whose punishment is up to life in prison.”
The campaign comes a month after Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war, during which much of Teheran’s nuclear programme was destroyed.
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More than 35 Israelis have been arrested on charges of spying for Iran, having allegedly been tasked with taking photographs of military bases and strategic sites or offered large cash payments to assassinate senior figures.
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Two recent high-profile cases involved attempts to set up cameras close to the home of defence minister Israel Katz and spying on former prime minister Naftali Bennett during a hospital stay.
Those recruited are invariably in financial difficulty and are seeking a quick fix to settle debts: many are new immigrants, often lacking the patriotic attachment to the state most veteran Israelis have.
“Most of those recruited are on the margins of Israeli society,” explained Yossi Melman, an espionage expert. “But what’s worrying is that a country dedicated to Israel’s destruction has managed to penetrate Israeli society.”
And Melman has an explanation as to why the Iranians are succeeding.
“It’s connected to the disintegration of Israeli society that has been accelerating over recent years. There is no longer cohesion and solidarity,” he said.
“People feel that if officials can work for Qatar why they can’t work for Iran?” he said, in a reference to the Qatargate scandal in which officials in the prime minister’s office are suspected of receiving payment from Qatar.
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The Iranian recruitment method focuses on social media phishing via WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Instagram and Telegram, offering generous payments for simple tasks such as taking a photo of a particular individual or site, spraying graffiti or obtaining information on Israeli officials.
There is initially no mention of Iran and most Israelis who were recruited claimed that, initially at least, they had no idea they were working for Tehran.
