Latest news with #IsraelPolice
Yahoo
15 hours ago
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- Yahoo
Bat Yam man stabs partner to death, barricades himself on roof
A negotiation team from the Israel Police is on-site and working to bring the situation to a resolution, the forces confirmed. Israel Police have launched an investigation into a murder that occurred in Bat Yam following a report received regarding a 48-year-old woman who was stabbed in her home, the forces announced on Monday. The suspect, believed to be her husband, has barricaded himself on the rooftop of the building and refused to come down. A negotiation team from the Israel Police is on-site and working to bring the situation to a resolution, police confirmed. The woman sustained penetrating injuries, Maariv reported. According to initial investigations, the background to the incident is a domestic dispute between partners, the police stated. The incident was first reported by the couple's 17-year-old daughter, who was in the apartment with the family dog at the time—no other family members were present, according to Walla. One of the neighbors told Walla, "This is the first time I've heard any fighting from their apartment. There has never been shouting or disturbances before." Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Golan said in a Monday post on X/Twitter: "Another day and a half in Israel—six more murders. No governance, no security. From every sector and every community, no citizen is safe. This is what neglect looks like." "This is the reality in a country where the security minister [Ben Gvir] is a convicted felon, an avowed racist, and a Kahanist, acting entirely at the prime minister's command. We must send this negligent government home," he concluded. MDA paramedic Inbar Adani and senior MDA medic Doron Salimi shared that initially they "joined the police officers, who led us to the apartment. Inside, we found a woman who was unconscious, pulseless, and not breathing, with penetrating injuries to her body," Maariv noted. "We carried out medical assessments, but her injuries were critical, and sadly, we had to pronounce her dead at the scene," confirmed the MDA personnel, Maariv wrote.
Yahoo
2 days ago
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- Yahoo
Mother, son perish in fire in Modi'in apartment, authorities investigating
Ynet reported, sourcing the Modi'in police, that one investigative route being pursued is that she killed her son, locked the house up, set it aflame, and took her own life. A mother and her son were found dead in a scorched Modi'in apartment after it suffered a deadly fire on Sunday morning. Israel Police said it opened an investigation into their deaths. Firefighters dispatched from the local station responded to a call about a fire on the second floor of an apartment building. When they arrived, they noticed black smoke coming from the apartment. They added that the victims were so badly wounded that they had to call their deaths. It was during the search that the firefighters found the bodies. Emergency response service organization ZAKA said it would assist in evidence collection and identification and ensure the dignity of the deceased. Ynet reported, sourcing the Modi'in police, that one investigative route being pursued is that she killed her son, locked the house up, set it aflame, and took her own life. Police Central District Chief Asst.-Ch. Yair Hezroni said at the site, 'The apartment was locked on the inside... when we got in, we saw the horror of the burned bodies.' He added that there was a stab wound in the mother's chest. At first glance, he said, 'This looks like a murder-suicide,' but noted that other options are being investigated as well. Hezroni added that there were no known complaints to police from that apartment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
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- Yahoo
Iran's spy game: How the Islamic Republic convinces Israelis to betray their homeland
INTERNAL SECURITY AFFAIRS: For a fistful of dollars, Israelis are ready to assist Iran in its war against Israel. Roy Mizrahi and Almog Atias, both 24 and childhood friends, are residents of Nesher, near Haifa. Mizrahi was deep in debt due to a gambling addiction, and Atias was not far behind. Then an opportunity arose that offered to them a way out of their financial mess. A member of an online swingers group, Mizrahi made the acquaintance of an anonymous member who asked him to do a bunch of seemingly unrelated and harmless tasks, and in return he was paid handsomely. First he was told to photograph the area around his home and then document a car dealership's sales board. He was then asked to burn a note with a message against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then, the missions became more sinister, and at some point, according to police investigators, Mizrahi became very aware that the people calling the shots were Iranian, and he was doing their beckoning. Next, he transferred a bag buried in the ground he believed to contain a bomb from one location to another. Then, it was time for the main mission. Together with Atias, who was also recruited by the anonymous online member, a surveillance camera was purchased and the two rented a hotel room in Tel Aviv, before traveling to Kfar Ahim, the southern Israel home of Defense Minister Israel Katz. They were ordered to install a camera facing the access road to Katz's home, but the mission was aborted due to the presence of security guards. Defense officials told the court that the surveillance was part of a larger plan to assassinate the defense minister. MIZRAHI AND Atias are not an abberation. It seems that every couple of weeks a new story emerges about the recruitment of Israelis by Iranian intelligence. According to a Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) report issued in January, the year 2024 saw a 400% increase in espionage cases compared to the previous year. Supt. Maor Goren, head of the security division at the Israel Police's Lahav 433 – The National Crime Unit, told KAN Reshet Bet that the arrest of Mizrahi and Atias marked the 20th case his unit and the Shin Bet have handled over the past year involving Israelis suspected of spying for Iran. There is no doubt that Tehran has used the period since the start of the Israel-Hamas War to step up its efforts to lure Israelis into spying for the regime. Twenty espionage cases have so far come to public light, and 30 indictments have been filed. Not all the stories are similar, but some clear patterns emerge. Those recruited are invariably in financial difficulty and are seeking a quick fix to settle debts. Many are new immigrants, often lacking the patriotic attachment to the state most veteran Israelis have. 'Most of those recruited are useless and are on the margins of Israeli society,' explained Yossi Melman, an espionage expert and coauthor of Spies Against Armageddon. 'But what's worrying is that a country dedicated to Israel's destruction has managed to penetrate Israeli society.' And Melman has an explanation as to why the Iranians are succeeding. 'It's connected to the disintegration of Israeli society that has been accelerating over recent years. There is no longer cohesion and solidarity,' he explained. 'Today it's each for their own, and even the government only cares about its own survival. People feel that if officials can work for Qatar, why can't they work for Iran?' Goren noted, however, that for every individual who accepts the offer, others – also contacted by Iranian operatives – cut off communication and report the approach to the police. The Iranian recruitment method is relatively simple, lacking sophistication, and without a huge financial outlay or years of planning, involving sleeper cells or similar deep penetration methods. Social media phishing is the preferred recruitment method, and it only takes a few gullible Israelis to take the bait. The Iranians are targeting haredim, new immigrants, people with a criminal background, and ordinary citizens, often going after those with financial difficulties motivated by the prospect of making some quick money. The targeting of new immigrants – a number of those arrested have been from the former Soviet Union – also may have an unfortunate ripple effect beyond a threat to Israeli security: fostering suspicion and stigmatizing specific demographics among the public. Furthermore, Iran has been able to cast a wider net, largely thanks to social media, which they leverage to recruit people. The digital approach to recruitment allows Iran to reach segments of the population that they would not have been able to access before the advent of platforms like Telegram. You may have unwittingly come across such recruitment attempts yourself. Iranian intelligence has reached out to Israelis on various platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Telegram, and Instagram, offering generous payments for simple tasks such as taking a photo of a particular individual or site, or spraying graffiti. Sometimes the ad will seek a private investigator to obtain information on Israeli officials. There is initially no mention of Iran, and most Israelis who were recruited claimed that, initially at least, they had no idea they were working for Tehran. Other phishing campaigns posted surveys asking Israelis to enter their personal information. The Shin Bet has an impressive track record in thwarting Iran's espionage efforts, and so far, as far as we know, there has been no serious damage caused to Israel's security. However, the espionage effort is ongoing, and it is entirely possible that individuals working for Tehran have still not been exposed. Criticism has been voiced over lenient sentencing by the courts for the individuals who are enticed by Iranian intelligence. The relatively mild punishments handed down by the courts – usually a few years in prison – are unlikely to deter people who are tempted by Iran's generous cash payments. And for Iran, the capture of individuals or a cell operating on its behalf has no consequences at all. The spymasters in Tehran merely wait patiently until the next victim answers their social media messages. Moshe Attias, an 18-year-old resident of Yavne, received the following message. 'Thank you for contacting Iranian intelligence. To speak with our experts, send a message to the Telegram user below.' Attias received around $1,800 via a digital wallet to document the ward in the Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba where former prime minister Naftali Bennett was staying when hospitalized for a week in April. Attias, posing as a relative of Bennett, also described to his Iranian handlers the security arrangements in place in the hospital for the former prime minister. Last August, Israeli police arrested 73-year-old Moti Maman, from Ashkelon, for allegedly plotting to assassinate Netanyahu, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. Maman was smuggled into Iran twice to meet with his Iranian handlers. In Iran, he allegedly requested an advance payment of $1 million, according to the indictment against him. 'Getting so close to Bennett is an achievement for the Iranians, and it shows they are still trying,' explained Melman. 'But still, their efforts pale into insignificance when compared to Israeli intelligence penetration of Iran. Maman told his handlers there was no way he could get access to top-level officials and suggested instead the mayors of Acre or Nahariya.' In March a resident of Beersheba was arrested on suspicion of offering to sell an Iranian agent information on the Negev Nuclear Research Center. Last year a couple were recruited by an Iranian intelligence network that specifically focuses on Jewish immigrants to Israel from the Caucasus region, after being initially approached by an Israeli national with Azerbaijani origins. According to the indictment the couple received $600 per day for gathering information on potential targets, including surveillance of Mossad headquarters. A seven-member Haifa cell, indicted last year, allegedly photographed dozens of military bases, Iron Dome batteries and other strategic sites across Israel, receiving between $500 and $1,200 per task. According to the indictment, one of their surveillance targets was the Nevatim Air Force Base, which was later hit in an Iranian missile strike. Not all those recruited are Jewish. Last October seven Palestinians from east Jerusalem were arrested after being recruited by Tehran. The cell plotted to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist and the mayor of a major city. To date, the Iranian espionage efforts don't appear to have resulted in a spectacular success, and through a combination of digital surveillance and undercover operations the Shin Bet has succeeded in thwarting Iranian efforts. No senior Israeli figures have been assassinated. The surveillance efforts may have provided Tehran with real-time intelligence on more than one occasion but do not amount to a game changer. 'But we don't know what we don't know, and what's really worrying is that Israelis are ready to betray their homeland for a fistful of dollars,' said Melman. Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sana'a Daqqa, widow of Walid Daqqa, arrested for incitement against Israel, IDF soldiers
Along with four other terrorists, Walid Daqqa murdered IDF soldier Moshe Tamam and later made headlines by fathering a child through smuggling sperm from prison. Sana'a Daqqa, the widow of Walid Daqqa, was arrested during operational activity by police near the Nablus Gate in Jerusalem on Thursday night, an Israel Police spokesperson confirmed. She was arrested on suspicion of incitement, the spokesperson said. Daqqa was said to have published inciting material against the state and IDF soldiers "The Israel Police will reach out to any person, anywhere, who calls for incitement against the State of Israel and IDF soldiers and will bring them to justice to the fullest extent,' the spokeswoman affirmed. Police Commissioner Danny Levi ordered her arrest following a request from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, police said. Daqqa praised a number of terrorists on social media, including her husband and eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinar, Walla reported. Israeli-Arab PFLP terrorist Walid Daqqa, who participated in the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier in 1984, was celebrated by terrorists in 2020 after he reportedly smuggled his sperm out of Gilboa Prison to father a child. Walid Daqqa's efforts were reportedly fruitful as his wife gave birth to Milad, according to Palestinian Authority TV. Amnesty International claimed he had only been allowed to see his daughter once before his death. He received extra time on his sentence for participating in phone smuggling into Ktzi'ot prison, according to Israeli media. Walid Daqqa died of cancer in 2024 after serving 37 years behind bars following Israel's refusal of his efforts to gain early release. Along with four other terrorists, Walid Daqqa murdered IDF soldier Moshe Tamam. The courts found that he had ordered the kidnapping of Tamam for ransom purposes, but ordered his murder should any complications arise, according toprevious reporting by theJerusalem Post.
Yahoo
4 days ago
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- Yahoo
IDF intercepts fifth Houthi missile from Yemen in last week
The IDF attacked Yemen's Sanaa International Airport on Wednesday. The IDF intercepted a Houthi missile that was launched from Yemen Thursday evening, the military announced. This is the fifth missile the Houthis have fired at Israel in the last week. Sirens sounded in several areas of the country from Tel Aviv to Modi'in. Israel Police is conducting searches to locate impact sites of munitions. Magen David Adom confirmed that no calls have been received about casualties, except for cases of anxiety and people who were injured on the way to a protected area. On Tuesday, Houthis also launchedtwo missiles at Israel, both intercepted by the IDF. The missiles were launched only three hours apart, and sirens were only activated in the West Bank. All of the missiles in the past week were intercepted by the IDF. The IDF attacked Yemen's Sanaa International Airport on Wednesday in response to several Houthi ballistic missile attacks fired against Israel over the last week. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the air force destroyed the last airplane the Houthis still had to use at the airport after Israel had already struck it multiple times in the past several months. Katz continued, saying that Israel had or was in the process of instituting an aerial and naval blockade on the Houthis to try to deter them from future attacks on the Jewish state.
