Israeli security authorities have exposed a security breach within the air force, accusing two technicians working at the sensitive Tel Nof air base of spying for Iran and providing it with top-secret technical and field information.
F-15 Fighter Secrets Leaked
The Israel Broadcasting Corporation reported that the two accused technicians, who work in the maintenance of the F-15 fighter jets, leaked documents that included detailed diagrams of the planes' engines and photographs of the identities of flight instructors. This intelligence activity took place during the military operation known as "Assad's Roar," which is a major blow to the military control and field security bases within the military establishment.
High-level list of goals
According to the Israeli authority, the suspicions were not limited to technical information, but also extended to the collection of intelligence on senior political and security figures.
The defendants received requests to track down former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, raising the case to the level of a direct threat to the lives of senior state leaders.
Tightening charges and expanding investigations
The Israel Broadcasting Corporation said that the Israeli Public Prosecution is currently considering raising the charge from "espionage" to "high treason," given the extent of the strategic damage.
The investigations also involved eight other al-Qaeda soldiers suspected of knowing about intelligence activity without informing the authorities, prompting the al-Qaeda commander (with the rank of brigadier general) to be summoned by the Shin Bet to provide clarifications on the circumstances of this security failure.
"Digital Recruitment" Cell Series
The case comes weeks after the arrest of 23-year-old Yousef Ein Eli, who was recruited online by Iranian entities to photograph tourist sites and hotels and examine the possibility of carrying out sabotage and bomb operations. These successive incidents point to an intensive Iranian strategy that relies on digital recruitment and encrypted payments to penetrate Israel's security and civilian fabric.
Thwarting transnational regional schemes
In a related context, the Mossad and the Shin Bet revealed that they had foiled a plot of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard lineage that was targeting the strategic oil pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan), as well as Jewish targets and the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan.
These operations reflect the escalation of the open intelligence war between Tehran and Tel Aviv, which has moved from the "shadows" to the heart of military bases and vital installations.