A 24-year-old Palestinian woman from Beit Ummar, near Hebron, was arrested on suspicion of maintaining contact with an Iranian operative, the military said Monday. She was detained August 6 in a joint operation by police and the Israel Defense Forces and is suspected of carrying out missions on behalf of the operative. Her detention was extended by eight days.
After her arrest, she was taken to an intelligence facility in the Etzion area, where officials said she partially admitted to the allegations and detailed her connection with the operative and the missions involved. During further questioning at a police station, she gave a full confession, according to authorities.
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Palestinian woman, 24, admitted to maintaining contact with an Iranian operative
(Photo: Israel Police spokesperson)
Military prosecutors have requested additional investigative steps, including technological examinations and intelligence work, to strengthen the case. The investigation is being conducted together with the Shin Bet security service and other IDF intelligence units. A gag order has been placed on parts of the case, which prosecutors called “highly sensitive.”
The arrest comes amid a string of recent espionage cases involving Iranian contacts. Last month, prosecutors indicted an Israeli citizen who immigrated from Iran in 1999, accusing him of providing flight paths of Israeli drones and information about military bases. Two weeks earlier, indictments were filed against an IDF soldier who allegedly sent information to Iran in exchange for money and a Bedouin teacher from the Negev accused of filming air force activity.
Separately, last week it was revealed that Iranian actors hacked the Telegram account of former government minister Ayelet Shaked during June’s 12-day conflict, though associates said no sensitive material was compromised.