Israeli authorities have uncovered what they’re calling one of their most serious espionage cases ever, arresting seven citizens accused of conducting hundreds of spy missions for Iran over a two-year period.

Seven members of Haifa’s tight-knit Azerbaijani community were arrested on September 19 in the espionage case. Among them were two teenagers and surprisingly a former IDF soldier. Police identified the five adults as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe, and Yigal Nissan.

According to prosecutors, the group tracked a high-ranking security official’s movements in what prosecutors believe was preparation for a possible hit. Their Iranian backers paid lavishly for the information, funneling hundreds of thousands through both cash and crypto channels. They also allegedly gathered intelligence on critical military installations and components of Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense system.

Of particular concern was their alleged role as “ spotters” during Iran’s April ballistic missile attack against the Jewish state . The suspects provided Tehran with precise impact locations, allowing Iran to analyze their targeting accuracy for their 2^nd strike in October. Disturbingly, the spy ring is said to have photographed an Air Force surveillance balloon in the Galilee and sent its coordinates to Iran. Weeks later, the site was struck in a precision terror attack.

“This is one of the most severe cases we’ve ever investigated,” Israeli police chief superintendent Yaron Binyamin tells the Times of Isreal. “There is a real possibility that the main charge will be aiding the enemy in wartime, for which the penalty is death or life imprisonment.”

“The phenomenon of traitors to the country harming Israel’s security for the sake of money while we are fighting for our future in an existential war demands the harshest measures, including a law allowing for the death penalty for aiding the enemy in wartime, “he said. “This is the only way we can create a clear deterrent that will prevent further similar cases.”

While treason remains a capital offense in Israel, the state has exercised remarkable restraint in applying the death penalty. Since its founding, only two executions have been carried out through judicial process, most notably the 1962 hanging of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.

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