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Israeli sentenced to 55 months for spying on Gallant, Iranian intelligence tasks

Fares Abu al-Hija convicted of contact with Iranian operative, photographing former defense minister's home and hiding phones.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 1d ago4 pieces MastodonNewswires

What to know

  • Israeli citizen Fares Abu al-Hija was sentenced to 55 months in prison after pleading guilty to spying for Iran between October 2025 and January 2026.
  • His tasks included photographing streets near former defense minister Yoav Gallant's home in Amikam, hiding phones in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, and delivering cryptocurrency access codes.
  • The court balanced mitigating factors including his confession and family hardship against the severity of espionage offenses and deterrence needs in a growing pattern of such cases.
  • Abu al-Hija received approximately $3,600 in payments via Binance from the Iranian operative identified as "Martin" on Telegram, though he later suspected the connection to Iranian intelligence.

“the court must take into account "in light of the defendant's dangerous conduct," and added that general deterrence should be included among the considerations determining the sentencing range, given the growing prevalence of the phenomenon”

Judge Avi Levy · Jerusalem Post ↗

Fares Abu al-Hija Israeli citizen convicted of spyingYoav GallantYoav Gallant Former Israeli defense ministerJudge Avi Levy Haifa District Court judgeShin Bet Israeli Security Agency

Israeli sentenced to 55 months for spying on Gallant, Iranian intelligence tasks
Jerusalem Post

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  1. 1

    Haifa District Court sentences Abu al-Hija to 55 months in prison

    Judge Avi Levy sentenced Abu al-Hija to 55 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to contact with a foreign agent as part of a plea agreement. The court noted his confession, remorse, and family circumstances as mitigating factors, but emphasized the severity of the offenses and the need for deterrence given the growing prevalence of such cases. The sentence includes a 24-month suspended sentence for three years and a NIS 10,000 fine.

    “in light of the defendant's dangerous conduct…”
    — Judge Avi Levy
    1. 1 outlet Israeli sentenced to 55 months in prison for spying for Iran, photographing Gallant's house

      first by Jerusalem Post, 1d ago

    • europesays@pubeurope.com

      Israeli sentenced to prison after spying for Iran, photographing Gallant’s house An Israeli citizen was sentenced to 55 months in prison on Tuesday after he was convicted as part… # EuropeSays # Headlines # News # Europe # Europa # EU # Israel # Espionage # Iran # YoavGallant

      europesays@pubeurope.comMastodon1d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    Abu al-Hija arrested following Iranian intelligence operation — Following his photographing task, Abu al-Hija was arrested in an operation conducted by the Shin Bet and the Menashe District Central Unit of the Israel Police's Coastal District.

  3. background

    Abu al-Hija photographs streets near Gallant's home in Amikam — In January 2026, Abu al-Hija was instructed to travel to Amikam and photograph streets near former defense minister Yoav Gallant's house. He completed the task and sent the photographs to his handler before being arrested by the Shin Bet and Israel Police.

  4. background

    Abu al-Hija purchases and hides phones at multiple locations — As part of his assignments, Abu al-Hija purchased cellphones and chargers, hid them at several locations in Haifa and Kiryat Haim, activated the devices, installed communications applications, and documented and sent the locations to his handler.

  5. background

    Abu al-Hija begins contact with Iranian intelligence operative via Telegram — Fares Abu al-Hija, 32, initiated contact with a person identified as "Martin" on Telegram. The individual was later identified by the Shin Bet as an Iranian intelligence operative. Abu al-Hija received payments through the Binance app in exchange for carrying out assigned tasks.