The Shin Bet domestic security agency and police said Friday they recently arrested a 32-year-old Israeli man suspected of maintaining contact with a foreign agent from Lebanon and carrying out security-related assignments at her direction.
Hamdan Hamdan, a resident of Majd al-Krum, an Arab town in northern Israel, was arrested on suspicion of offenses including contact with a foreign agent and carrying out security-related tasks on the agent’s behalf, the agencies said.
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According to the investigation, Hamdan was in contact with the foreign agent for several months and was asked to carry out a series of assignments at her direction.
Investigators said Hamdan knew he was communicating with a foreign agent based in Lebanon, a country that remains technically at war with Israel.
Authorities said attempts were made to compensate Hamdan for completing the assignments through an unusual payment method: The foreign handler allegedly arranged for products to be purchased in Israel and transferred to him.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 national crime-fighting unit, including its division responsible for investigating international and serious crimes. The case was overseen by the Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against Hamdan on Sunday.
Police and the Shin Bet renewed their warning to Israelis against communicating with foreign actors from enemy states or unidentified individuals, particularly when they are asked to perform assignments in exchange for payment or other benefits.
“We again warn the citizens and residents of the State of Israel against maintaining contact with foreign elements from enemy states and/or unidentified parties, and all the more so against carrying out tasks for them in exchange for payment or for any other reason,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
Security authorities said intelligence and militant organizations from enemy states continue attempting to recruit Israelis to carry out security-related, espionage and terrorist activities inside Israel, including during the current war.
The agencies said such recruitment efforts have also included approaches to Israelis through social media.