Israeli security services said on Thursday they had arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of spying for Iran, including photographing the home of former prime minister Naftali Bennett, in what authorities described as part of stepped-up Iranian intelligence activity.
The Shin Bet domestic security agency and Israeli police said prosecutors would indict 40-year-old Vadim Kupriyanov, a resident of Rishon Lezion, in the Lod District Court on espionage-related charges.
According to the investigation, Kupriyanov was detained earlier this month after he was seen taking photographs near Bennett’s residence in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana. Police said he used a car-mounted camera and had been in contact with an Iranian handler for about two months.
Security officials said Kupriyanov carried out a range of surveillance and security-related tasks in exchange for payment, a pattern they said mirrors other recent cases involving Israeli citizens recruited by Iranian intelligence.
Bennett responded to the arrest by saying Iran’s efforts to harm him would not deter him from public life.
Earlier this month, Iran-linked hackers said they breached Bennett’s Telegram account and published personal data they said was taken from his phone. Bennett said the matter was being handled by authorities.
The arrest is the latest in a series of espionage cases Israeli officials have attributed to Iran. In recent weeks, Israeli authorities have announced the detention of several individuals – including Israeli citizens and foreign workers – accused of gathering intelligence on sensitive sites, ports or senior figures in exchange for money, often paid digitally.
Israeli security agencies say Iran has intensified recruitment efforts through social media and other online channels amid heightened tensions between the two longtime adversaries.
