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Tel Aviv [Israel], February 16 (ANI/TPS): An Israeli-Arab man was indicted on Monday on charges of gathering intelligence on former Defence Minister Yoav Galant on behalf of an Iranian agent, prosecutors announced Monday.
The defendant, Fares Abu al-Hija, 32, a resident of the northern Galilee village of Kaukab Abu al-Hija, was arrested in late January while photographing streets near Galant's home in Moshav Amikam. Authorities said the operation was part of a wider intelligence-gathering mission allegedly orchestrated by an Iranian handler. According to the indictment filed with the Haifa District Court, Abu al-Hija first came into contact with the agent through the messaging app Telegram last August while searching for work. Prosecutors allege he was paid in cryptocurrency to perform a series of assignments, which included taking photographs and videos of locations in Israel and handling electronic devices with encrypted communications applications. "During his interrogation, the defendant admitted to performing various tasks for a foreign source and receiving payments in cryptocurrency," the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police said in a joint statement. "Our investigation confirmed that the source was an Iranian intelligence operative." Before being asked to target Galant, Abu al-Hija allegedly carried out several other missions. Prosecutors say he photographed and recorded a cafe in Tel Aviv and delivered envelopes containing cryptocurrency access codes to designated locations, earning thousands of dollars for each assignment. He was also instructed to purchase mobile phones, hide them at specific sites in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, activate them with secure messaging apps, and document their locations for his handler. The indictment states that Abu al-Hija carried out these assignments "despite suspecting that he was working for a foreign agent and avoiding investigating the suspicion." In January, he was instructed to photograph streets surrounding Galant's home and to document four locations in the nearby area. Once he transmitted the photos and video to the handler, he was arrested at the scene. Authorities emphasized that Galant was not at home when the surveillance occurred, but that the case is part of a broader pattern of attempts by Iranian elements to recruit Israeli civilians for intelligence-gathering purposes. Since the June 2025 war with Iran, "we have witnessed increased efforts by Iranian elements to recruit and operate civilians in the territory of the State of Israel," the Shin Bet and police said. (ANI/TPS)
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