Israeli court records or official announcements from Israeli authorities

Israeli Authorities Arrest Rafael and Lala Guliyev for Spying for Iran Amid Ongoing Espionage Crackdown

Oct 31, 2024, 10:00 AM

Israeli authorities have recently intensified their crackdown on espionage activities linked to Iran, leading to multiple arrests. A couple from Lod, identified as Rafael and Lala Guliyev, both approximately 32 years old, have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran. They allegedly conducted intelligence-gathering missions targeting Israeli security and national infrastructure sites, including tracking an academic affiliated with a security think tank. This incident follows the indictment of Asher Binyamin Weiss, a resident of Bnei Brak, who is accused of espionage aimed at facilitating the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist. Weiss faces serious charges, including contact with Iranian operatives. The Israeli security agency Shin Bet has revealed that these arrests are part of a broader pattern of Iranian attempts to recruit Israeli citizens for intelligence purposes, with several cases surfacing in recent weeks.