Jerusalem, 15 November, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency and the Israel Police arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of conducting espionage and intelligence-gathering missions for Iranian operatives.
Wissam Ghalib Saleh Awad, a resident of Mazra’a—an Arab town located along Israel’s northern Mediterranean coastal plain between Acre and Nahariya, near the Lebanese border—was detained following a joint investigation.
Security forces raided Awad’s residence, seizing mobile phones and computers.
According to investigators, Awad initiated contact with Iranian agents via the Telegram messaging application without financial compensation, driven by ideological motives and sympathy for Hezbollah.
He allegedly photographed strategic facilities, military bases, and police stations, transmitting the footage and coordinates to his handlers.
Following the investigation, the Haifa District Attorney’s Office is filing a severe indictment at the Haifa Magistrate’s Court, alongside a request to remand Awad in custody until legal proceedings conclude.
