Secret Israeli documents obtained in ‘complicated operation’: Minister
Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said on Sunday that the country has managed to acquire thousands of secret Israeli documents in an “extensive and complicated operation”.
In an interview with the IRIB News, Khatib called the documents a trove of “strategic, operational, and scientific information”.
The minister added that the documents are related to the regime’s nuclear facilities, its relations with the United States, Europe and some other countries as well as information that will help Iran enhance its offensive capabilities.
His remarks came a day after Iranian national broadcaster (IRIB) reported Iran’s acquisition of the documents.
Informed sources told the IRIB News on Saturday that the intelligence breach was one of the biggest blows to the regime.
Asked whether there are really “thousands” of documents as reported earlier, he said, “This is a very major development, and in fact, ‘thousands of documents’ is a very small term compared to what has been acquired.”
The sources said that although the operation to obtain the documents was carried out some time ago, the sheer volume of materials and the need to transfer them safely into Iran necessitated a news blackout to ensure they reached the designated protected locations.
They also noted that the abundance of documents is so vast that reviewing them, along with viewing images and videos, has consumed a significant amount of time.
Khatib said the operation was carried out inside the occupied territories and succeeded in transferring the documents to Iran.
Back in May, Israeli authorities said that they had arrested two settlers suspected of carrying out "intelligence-gathering missions" at Iran's behest near the military affairs’ minister's home.
The arrests are the latest in a spate of cases in which Tel Aviv has charged its own settlers with spying for Iran since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency said that, "In a joint operation... Roi Mizrachi and his friend, Almog Attias, both 24, were arrested at the end of April for committing security offenses after collecting intelligence in Kfar Ahim," where Defense Minister Israel Katz lives.
Iran and Israel have waged a years-long campaign of covert and overt operations against each other, ranging from cyberattacks to drone strikes.
Tehran, which does not recognize Israel, accuses the regime of orchestrating the assassinations of several of its nuclear scientists.
Last year, tensions between the two foes reached an all-time high as they exchanged direct fire amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.