The Shin Bet revealed the Iranian intelligence’s attempt to establish an espionage infrastructure in Israel under cover of business operation.
It has been cleared to publish that on April 17, 2019, the General Security Service (GSS), together with the Israel Police, arrested Thaar Shafout, a Jordanian citizen, originally from Hebron, aged 32.
During the Shin Bet interrogation, it was revealed that Shafot, a Jordanian businessman, had entered Israel on behalf of Iranian intelligence to carry out missions intended to promote the establishment of infrastructures in Israel and in Judea and Samaria that would be used for secret Iranian activity.
The start of the connection between Shafout and Iranian intelligence began in Lebanon when he met two Arab-speaking operators from the Iranian intelligence, who described themselves as Abu Sadek and Abu Jaafar.
Following the first meeting held in Lebanon, between 2018 and 2019, several meetings were held between Shafout and his Iranian operators, which were held in Lebanon and Syria.
During the meetings, Shafout was instructed to establish a business infrastructure in Israel that would serve as cover for future Iranian activity, apparently in order to obtain access to Israel and Judea and Samaria, and to recruit spies to assist in gathering intelligence in accordance with Iran’s interests in the field.
As part of his activities, he began to perform field research. During his visits to Israel in July and August 2018, and in April 1919, he began to establish contacts with field forces in order to help him in his missions.
Pursuant to his contacts with his Iranian handlers, Shafout proposed to them, and secured their approval, to set up a factory in Jordan to employ Shi’ite workers who would anchor future Iranian activity in Israel and in Judea and Samaria.
Shafout’s Iranian handlers expressed willingness to invest considerable funds, approximately $500,000 initially, with additional funds to follow as necessary, in order to establish operations in the field.
His Iranian handlers also transferred to Shafout equipment for encrypted communications for use in contacts between them including the channeling of information and the coordination of meetings. Iranian intelligence intended to use Shafut as a conduit to channel funds to terrorists in Judea and Samaria and in Israel.
At the conclusion of the operations for which he was sent to Israel, Shafout was expected to travel to Iran to complete his training as an agent and undergo advanced training in intelligence and espionage.
Shafout’s arrest by the ISA thwarted these plans and led to the foiling of the actions that were planned by Iranian intelligence operatives, through him.
The IDF Judge Advocate General’s office, on 10 June 2019, filed an indictment against Shafut in the Judea military court. He is accused of contact with an enemy, contact with a hostile organization and conspiracy to smuggle enemy funds into the area.
This case is an additional example of Iran’s continuing and varied attempts to invest considerable means and resources in establishing cells for activity against Israel.
