An Israeli man is accused of passing intelligence information to Iranian agents about Israel Defense Forces bases and details about missile impact sites during the war with the Islamic Republic.
Authorities in Jerusalem said Shimon Azarzar, 27, was in contact with Iranian intelligence officials for about a year until his arrest on Saturday. According to the indictment, he received “thousands” of Israeli shekels in compensation for his espionage work.
Mr. Azarzar’s wife worked as a communications technician at an Israeli Air Force base during her reserve military duty. The couple shared information on their phone through the cloud, so any photos they took would be visible to one another.
From November 2024 to March 2025, he was also employed by a renovation contractor that did work for the IDF, the Israel Police, and Rafael, the Israeli defense contractor, according to Israeli media.
The Times of Israel said Mr. Azarzar is accused of sending one of his handlers a partially blurred photograph of the operations room at the base where his wife was working. Computer screens were visible and displayed sensitive information about base operations.
Mr. Arazar’s wife was unaware of his double life as an Iranian spy and wasn’t charged in the case, the Times of Israel reported.
He also provided Iran with an on-the-spot assessment of the missile strikes from Iran during the June 2025 war. At one point, he even texted his handler while taking cover during an Iranian missile attack.
“I am currently running from your missiles, and I can give you information about an impact in a special location,” he wrote, according to the Times of Israel report.
His handler offered a home and a high-paying job in Iran, but Mr. Azarzar told him he was subject to a travel ban in Israel. Last year, the Iranian agent sent him $103 in cryptocurrency, calling it a “gift for the Rosh Hashanah holiday,” according to the Times of Israel report.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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