Israel claims it foiled Iranian effort to recruit spies

JERUSALEM

Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet has claimed to have foiled an attempt to recruit people through social media for the benefit of the Iranian intelligence.

In a statement, the security agency said Wednesday its joint operation with Israeli police and Israeli army thwarted an Iranian intelligence network’s attempt to recruit individuals in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

It said the Iranians reached out to potential operatives, initially via fake Facebook and other social media accounts.

“While the network was directed by Iran, it operated from Syria and was supervised by a person known as Abu Jihad,” the Israeli agency added.

According to the statement, Abu Jihad was tasked with gathering information on Israeli army bases, police stations, hospitals and other sensitive security installations for potential attacks.