Israeli security services announced they thwarted an Iranian intelligence operation, arresting a Tajik national with a Russian passport who allegedly mapped missile impact sites and photographed strategic targets including Haifa Port and the Azrieli Towers. The suspect, operating on Iranian instructions, also reportedly attempted to document a sensitive northern security facility, according to a joint statement by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.
Israeli security services announced on Thursday they foiled an Iranian intelligence cell that had been targeting strategic infrastructure during wartime, arresting a Tajik national with a Russian passport whom they identified as a field operative who mapped missile strike sites and photographed key installations. The suspect — whose name has been gradually released across the thread as Behrouz Sobirgon (variants Behruz Sobirgon) — allegedly transmitted the coordinates of Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers, documented Haifa Port, and attempted to photograph a sensitive security facility in northern Israel during Operation Roaring Lion, according to a joint Shin Bet and Israel Police statement. The prosecution filed a prosecutor's statement in Tel Aviv District Court earlier today, with a formal indictment expected soon.
The Zioneer has been tracking this case since the initial clearance for publication Thu 10:46 Jerusalem, when the suspect was first described as a foreign national with a Russian passport accused of documenting missile impact sites and recruiting agents. Within the same minute, the suspect was named as a Tajik-Russian national, and the scope of targets expanded to include Azrieli Towers and Haifa Port. By the identical timestamp, a prosecutor's statement had been filed, and the arrest date was clarified as June 2026. Throughout these parallel updates, corroboration evolved from a single security source to a formal joint statement from the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and the Defense Ministry. Today's update confirms the cell's designation as an 'Iranian spy cell' and adds the suspect's role in mapping missile impact sites specifically.
As The Zioneer reported in previous coverage, this case follows a broader pattern of Iranian espionage-related indictments in Israel, including a Haifa resident charged in June with performing security tasks for Iranian intelligence and a Bat Yam resident accused of providing missile-fall information during Operation Roaring Lion. The wider backdrop includes ongoing assessments by analysts about the trajectory of the conflict and intelligence gaps.
The suspect's identity and specific charges were not released beyond the existing details. The Shin Bet said the investigation is ongoing.
16 developments
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Source and signal
- Internal intake