Tel Aviv [Israel], September 28: Israeli police reported on September 27 that hundreds of Israeli citizens received strange calls, with the content of recruiting them to spy for Iran with attractive incentives.
Hundreds of Israeli citizens have received calls from unknown numbers, with the person on the other end offering to recruit them into an Iranian organization, Israeli police said on September 27.
A recording of what is believed to be one of the calls was posted on the Israeli website Ynet . In it, a doctored voice calls someone in Israel and says: "Iranian intelligence is looking for qualified spies," offering "competitive salaries and full security."
Israeli police said the calls were "intended to cause public concern during times of war", urging people to remain vigilant and report any unusual incidents to the authorities.
Iranian officials have not yet responded to reports of the calls.
Last year, Israeli authorities said they arrested their citizens on charges of spying for Iran, in an unprecedented number of arrests.
Oded Allam, a former senior official of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency , told CNN that Iran has recently wanted to expand its intelligence network and recruit more people, rather than just focusing on finding qualified agents.
Since Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israeli police have investigated more than 25 espionage cases involving Iran, leading to about 46 arrests, according to Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne.
In a related development, Israeli media reported that Mossad was said to have made a mistake in not expecting Hamas to launch an attack on Israel nearly two years ago, The Times of Israel reported on September 28.
"We assess that the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip currently does not want to launch a military conflict with Israel, but Hamas will not back down if forced to attack," Channel 12 quoted Mossad's assessment report.
The assessment was made by Mossad two weeks before Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. Israeli intelligence believes that Hamas maintained high vigilance against Tel Aviv, but also tried to avoid escalation at that time.
Responding to the report, Mossad said it was not responsible for intelligence in Gaza, although it did not explain why it made the assessment. According to the statement, Mossad labeled the assessment as "low-level."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
