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MembersWhy are some Israelis helping Iran?

Iran is trying to do inside Israel what Israel has long done inside Iran: find weak points, recruit human sources, and turn an enemy society’s cracks into intelligence assets.

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Why would any Israeli help Iran?

It is an ugly question. It is also now unavoidable.

Israeli authorities have reportedly turned to rabbis and ultra-Orthodox influencers to warn members of the Haredi community not to cooperate with Iranian intelligence. According to reports citing Israeli officials, several Haredim are among dozens of Israelis charged in recent espionage cases linked to Iran.

That fact is disturbing. But it should not be misunderstood.

This is not a story about disloyalty on the part of the Haredim, or any other sector of Israeli society. It is a story about Iranian intelligence probing every Israeli weakness it can find: soldiers with access, civilians with debts, young men looking for easy money, people reachable on Telegram, people alienated from the state, and people naive enough to believe that a small paid “task” is harmless.

Haredim are just one attack vector.

The reported pattern is now familiar. Iranian-linked handlers contact Israelis online, often through social media or messaging apps. They offer money for small jobs: photograph a location, vandalize a site, gather names, send a video, prove...

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About the author

Patrick Callahan

This is an example of author bio/description. Beard fashion axe trust fund, post-ironic listicle scenester. Uniquely mesh maintainable users rather than plug-and-play testing procedures.

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