How Iran managed to recruit socially outcast Jews to spy on Israel

Israel's recent arrest of almost 30 mostly Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran has revealed a sophisticated strategy to benefit from social vulnerabilities within Israeli society, marking what security officials call Tehran’s most extensive infiltration effort in decades.

"There is a large phenomenon here," said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former top Shin Bet official, referring to what he called the surprising number of Jewish citizens who knowingly agreed to work for Iran against the state.

The recruited individuals painted a graphic picture of social alienation – recent immigrants, army deserters, and a convicted sex offender as conversations with the sources, court records and official statements show.

Unlike Tehran's previous espionage operations that targeted high-profile figures like businessmen and former cabinet ministers, this new wave focused on society's outliers.

The infiltration came amid Israel’s ongoing proxy war with Iran, which has intensified since October 7, 2023, with Tel Aviv targeting Tehran’s military assets and the leaders of its allies.

These killings included senior Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Fatah Sharif, as well as top Hezbollah figures like Hassan Nasrallah, Fuad Shukr and Hashem Safieddine.

From social outcasts to spies

According to police and Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet statements, at least two suspects were from Israel's ultra-Orthodox community.

The October arrests in Haifa clearly reflected this pattern, as they were not the first of their kind.

Defence analyst Hamze Attar noted the significance of Iran's successful exploitation of two distinct marginalised groups: recent immigrants from Azerbaijan and Arab Israelis.

"This [was] huge," he said, explaining how Iran managed to penetrate these communities that exist somewhat outside Israel's mainstream society.

"Israel has been thought of as ... a single identity, one taught from an early age that they are under constant danger of attack from their Arab neighbours."

According to Attar, Israel with its small and generally cohesive society has long been considered almost impregnable by foreign spy agencies.

The fact that Iran could turn multiple marginalised groups into so-called “assets” represented a significant intelligence breakthrough.

Digital recruitment pipeline

Iranian intelligence agencies methodically identified potential recruits through social media platforms, according to Israeli police warnings issued in November.

The approach was sometimes startlingly direct - one message sent to an Israeli civilian and seen by Reuters promised $15,000 in exchange for information, complete with contact details.

Iran also approached expatriate networks of Jews from Caucasus countries living in Canada and the United States, said one of the sources, a former Israeli counter-espionage official who worked until 2007, suggesting a broader strategy of targeting potentially marginalised Jewish communities worldwide.

"Recruited individuals are first assigned innocuous-seeming tasks in return for money, before handlers gradually demand specific intelligence on targets, including about individuals and sensitive military infrastructure," he said. The operations were often backed by threats of blackmail.

The gradual escalation strategy became evident in Victorsson's case.

Shin Bet and police investigations revealed he initially performed basic tasks - spraying graffiti, hiding money, posting flyers, and burning cars in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park - receiving over $5,000 for these activities.

According to the security services, he was later approached about more serious operations, including potential assassinations and weapons acquisition.

The Shin Bet's October 21 statement describing these espionage activities as "among the most severe the state of Israel has known" reflected the gravity of the situation.

"The unusual decision to provide detailed public accounts of the alleged plots was a move by Israel's security services to signal both to Iran and potential saboteurs inside Israel that they would be caught," Ben Hanan explained.

"You want to alert the public. And you also want to make an example of people that may also have intentions or plans to co-operate with the enemy."

Israel has gained major intelligence wins over the past few years in a shadow war with its arch foe, including allegedly killing a top nuclear scientist.

In a statement sent to media after the wave of arrests, Iran’s UN mission did not confirm or deny seeking to recruit Israelis and said that "from a logical standpoint" any such efforts by Iranian intelligence services would focus on non-Iranian and non-Muslim individuals to lessen suspicion.