IDF Air Force Soldier Arrested for Spying for Iran

In a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the Southern District Counter-Terrorism Unit, Rafael Reuveni, a 21-year-old resident of Be’er Sheva, an active-duty soldier serving at an Israeli Air Force base in the south, and a member of a Frum (Charedi) family, was arrested in October on suspicion of committing grave security offenses, including maintaining contact with Iranian intelligence operatives.

The investigation revealed that in recent weeks Reuveni was in direct contact with Iranian handlers and carried out multiple sensitive missions for them, while fully aware that he was operating under Iranian direction and that his actions could severely damage Israel’s national security.

His status as a serving IAF soldier dramatically heightens the gravity of the case and the potential risk posed by any classified information he might have been able to access or pass on.

Among the tasks Reuveni performed at the request of his Iranian operators:

• Photographing and transmitting images of various sites in Be’er Sheva
• Planting a cellphone and a pack of cigarettes in dead drops
• Retrieving a SIM card from a dead drop
• Locating an object resembling a pistol left in a dead drop, verifying it, and later relocating it to another site as instructed

In return, Reuveni received substantial payments through digital currency.

This case is one of more than 30 Iranian espionage incidents uncovered in recent months, underscoring Tehran’s relentless efforts to recruit Israeli citizens – including from within sensitive military roles to carry out missions aimed at harming the State of Israel and its citizens.

The Israel Police and Shin Bet reiterate their warning: any contact with foreign agents or execution of tasks on their behalf is a serious criminal offense that endangers national security.