‘Israel’ investigates Iranian phone calls attempting to recruit agents

‘Israeli’ security agencies revealed a mass telephone campaign targeting hundreds of ‘Israelis’, linking the unsolicited calls directly to Iranian intelligence services.

The high-volume operation uses recorded messages, often delivered in noticeably broken Hebrew, attempting to recruit civilians into an espionage network, according to officials cited by Hebrew media.

The operation prompted immediate warnings from the ‘Israel’ Police and the National Cyber Directorate (INCD), who confirmed the calls are dual-purpose: intended both to "advance espionage and terrorist activity" and to "cause alarm during wartime".

The Recruitment Pitch

Recipients reported hearing a standardized, recorded pitch that offers clear incentives for cooperation. As quoted by Hebrew media media, the message states: “Iranian intelligence is looking for official agents, competitive salary, comprehensive security. Find us on Telegram and the internet”.

Iranian intelligence previously relied heavily on targeted social media outreach, but this has become predictable to ‘Israeli’ counterintelligence.

By switching to mass phone calls, a “spraying” method—Iran utilizes a low-cost, high-volume approach to bypass digital security and cast a wide net for potential assets, often targeting individuals based on financial vulnerability.

The use of recorded messages in poor Hebrew suggests an automated system designed for statistical success rather than high-quality personal contact.

Once initial contact is successful, interested parties are quickly moved to encrypted channels, like Telegram, for secure operational communication.

Assignments for recruits typically start with simple, innocuous tasks that gradually escalate to more serious offenses, including intelligence gathering on strategically important sites and public figures.

The persistence of these efforts is evident: ‘Israeli’ security forces have investigated more than 25 espionage cases linked to Iran, resulting in approximately 46 arrests since October 7.