On Monday, it was announced that an indictment had been filed against Aden Debs, a 30-year-old resident of Ramat Gan, for contact with a foreign agent in time of war and damage to security in the country. The indictment was filed by the State Attorney’s Office after Debs’s actions were monitored by the police and the Shin Bet.
According to the indictment, Debs came into contact with an Iranian intelligence agent through Telegram, and received missions from him to carry out operations in Israeli territory for a fee using a digital cryptocurrency. Among the tasks imposed on Debs are hanging signs encouraging a military coup against the government throughout Ramat Gan, and recruiting additional Israeli citizens for missions meant to cause social fractures. According to the indictment, Debs was well aware that he was working with an Iranian agent, and even negotiated with him about the price he would get for his actions.
This is not the first time since the beginning of the war that the Shin Bet has exposed Iranian “chaos agents” in Israeli society, when only a few months ago, residents of Beit Shemesh who carried out public corruption of a similar nature were arrested. It turns out that the Iranians are as interested in harming Israeli society and internal unity as they are in harming us militarily. For this, it requires all of us to be alert and responsible on two levels: First, avoid contact with foreign and unknown entities on the Internet, and certainly do not follow orders from someone with unknown interests. And secondly, take on with limited seriousnes events taking place in the public arena. One must assume that extreme positions or extreme acts expressed and resonated in the media are not necessarily authentic, and do not represent real positions. For example, there is hardly anyone in Israel who is interested in a military coup, so it is a shame to be upset after hearing this extreme position, which ultimately resulted from a negative factor.
The Police said in a statement about the case: “In this complex period, in which the digital space is used for intimidation, messaging, or promoting terrorist activity under the guise of innocent activity, we recommend that the public be alert to inquiries from unknown parties and refrain from providing personal information and opening links from unknown sources.”
