Israel Arrests 2 Couples Spying For Iran: 'Thwarting Of Tehran's Efforts To...'

Israeli police announced on Thursday that they had detained an Israeli couple suspected of espionage on behalf of Iran, coming shortly after the recent arrest of two other groups allegedly operating under Tehran's orders.

"The thwarting of Iran's efforts to recruit Israelis continues," read a statement from police and Israel's Shin Bet security service.

Photo Credit: PTI

The suspects, a couple from Lod in central Israel, reportedly gathered intelligence on "national infrastructures, security sites, and monitored a female academic," according to the statement.

Identified as Rafael and Lala Goliev, residents of Lod, the couple allegedly "carried out tasks on behalf of an Iranian cell that recruits Israelis from the Caucasus countries in Israel."

The authorities claimed the Golievs were recruited by Elshan (Elhan) Agayev, an Azerbaijani citizen reportedly operating under the direction of Iranian officials. It remains unclear if Agayev resides in Israel.

The couple is accused of conducting surveillance on sensitive Israeli sites, including the Mossad intelligence agency headquarters, and gathering information on an academic at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

This latest announcement follows a series of arrests over alleged espionage.

On October 22, Israeli police detained seven Palestinians from east Jerusalem, annexed by Israel, suspected of planning attacks for Iran. The day before, seven Israelis from Haifa were taken into custody over suspicions of executing numerous spying operations under Iranian orders.

The previous week, two more Israelis faced charges after purportedly being approached by Iranian agents with offers to engage in spy missions.

In September, Israeli citizen Mordechai Maman, from Ashkelon, was arrested on suspicions of being recruited by Iran to plan the assassination of top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel currently faces a multi-front conflict involving Iranian-backed groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Huthi rebels in Yemen.