TEHRAN – On Thursday and Friday, Israeli media reported the separate arrests of two alleged Iranian spies, raising concern in the regime’s political and military circles by revealing that one detainee had met several times with the Israeli military's Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, before transferring information to Iran.

The two recent apprehensions bring to 40 the number of alleged Iranian spies arrested in the occupied territories this year. Israel’s domestic intelligence service Shin Bet has said that espionage grew by 500% in 2025.

Hebrew media reported Thursday that an Israeli man had been arrested on charges of conducting surveillance near former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s home and passing information to Iranian intelligence. 

The man, identified as Vadim Kupriyanov in his early 40s, was apprehended in the central city of Rishon LeZion. Investigators allege he conducted surveillance near Bennett’s home and was instructed by his alleged Iranian handlers to purchase a dash camera to film specific locations.

The investigation further claims that over the past two months, the suspect carried out several security-related tasks. These included photographing sites in his city of residence and other locations before transferring the images in exchange for money. An indictment is expected to be filed in a local court.

This arrest follows a similar case in May involving an 18-year-old Israeli accused of spying on Bennett. It also comes shortly after the hacking of Bennett’s Telegram account—an incident initially downplayed by his office before later being acknowledged.

A pro-Palestinian group called Handala took credit, releasing thousands of phone numbers and documents from Bennett’s phone. The leak, described by the group as “Operation Octopus,” included partial correspondence dating back to 2022. Among those exposed were contact details linked to foreign leaders, senior officials, journalists, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi.

Spy worked in IDF Chief’s office, visited command center in Kirya

Reports on Friday revealed the arrest of another alleged spy who had met multiple times with Israel’s military chief, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and accessed a secure command center. Israel’s Kan network said the individual, accused of espionage for Iran, met with Zamir while performing maintenance work in his office and also gained entry to a secure command center at the Kirya military headquarters.

While espionage has grown significantly in the past year, it has been an upward trend in Israel for several years. Hebrew media reports that Iran has repeatedly obtained Israeli military and security intelligence through various means—from gathering classified data on equipment and bases to infiltrating the offices and command centers of high-ranking officials. Israeli security analysts warn these alleged breaches have significantly strengthened Iran’s regional intelligence capabilities and strategic planning.

Iranians have not commented on any of the reported arrests or cyber operations, but Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib stated back in summer that the country has “thousands" of Jewish collaborators in the occupied territories. He said they work for Iran either for money—often small sums—or out of hatred for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has plunged the regime into an endless cycle of war since October 2023.

Earlier this month, Hebrew media published text messages it claimed were sent by Iran to numerous Israelis, reading: “Iranian intelligence agencies are ready to receive your intelligence cooperation.”

The Israeli regime has taken steps to deter its people from spying for Iran. In mid-July, it launched a public awareness campaign titled “Easy Money, Heavy Price,” with ads across radio, websites, and social media. A cabinet press release stated the initiative seeks to “raise awareness of the phenomenon of Israeli citizens cooperating with Iran, carrying out security missions for Iran inside Israel.”