Espionage

In a statement, WhatsApp said that fewer than 200 users worldwide had potentially been impacted.

Wei was first recruited in February 2022 via social media by an officer who portrayed himself as a naval enthusiast working for the government-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.

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The 24-year-old suspect was apprehended on August 6 during a joint operation by the Israel Police officers from the Etzion police station in the West Bank and the IDF.

Around May, the defendant warned the Iranian agent that Israel was planning to attack the Islamic Republic, that it was preparing for a ground operation at Iranian nuclear sites,

The embassy security guard is accused of collecting and leaking sensitive information that endangered national interests, the New York Times reported.

Howard Phillips said he was acting as a double agent, attempting to gain intelligence to share with Israel to better London-Jerusalem relations.

That citizens would align with a regime openly committed to Israel’s destruction is a symptom of something deeper: a broken civic contract and a loss of shared purpose.

"These cases reflect a broader phenomenon that began with the outbreak of the war, with Iranian operatives showing a strong drive to recruit from within Israel," said Peretz.

Before the closure, Switzerland’s intelligence service said that Iranian espionage posed a growing threat to Swiss diplomats.

Detectives from the Central District Police arrested the couple after covert investigations in cooperation with the Shin Bet.