Sn Iranian intelligence officer living in South Africa recruited and funded the West Bank-based operative, like reported by haaretz.com
Israel’s Shin Bet security service said Wednesday that it had uncovered Iranian intelligence operating in the West Bank. According to the Shin Bet, an Iranian intelligence officer living in South Africa recruited and funded the West Bank-based operation.
The Shin Bet, with the assistance of the Israeli military, arrested the main operative, a 29-year-old computer engineering student named Mohammed Maharmeh from the Hebron area. According to the Shin Bet, he was recruited into Iranian intelligence in 2015 by a relative, Bahar Maharmeh, who has lived in South Africa for the past several years.
Following a Shin Bet investigation, it became clear that Iranian intelligence had used South Africa as a significant base for locating, recruiting and operating agents in Israel and the West Bank.
“The Shin Bet and the IDF exposed and thwarted in the West Bank a terror network operated under the auspices of Iranian intelligence,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“This is not the first time. They try in different ways there and in other places to target the State of Israel. I’m glad that the Shin Bet and our security services are successful in thwarting [these attempts],” Netanyahu continued.
“I wish to stress to you that Iran is employing terrorism against Israel, not just by assisting terror organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but also through attempts to organize terror attacks inside Israeli territory.”
read more: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.832761
read more: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.832761
