Israel accused Iran of trying to recruit Jewish emigres as spies. The
Shin Bet intelligence agency said that over the past two years,
approximately 100 Israelis of Iranian descent had received special permits from
Tehran to make “homecoming visits.” Once in Iran, many of the visitors came
under pressure to work as spies and had their passports withheld as a coercive tactic, the Shin Bet said. Most of the
visitors reported the attempted recruitment on their return, while 10 tried to pass information to their Iranian handlers but reportedly were stopped by the
Shin Bet. The agency said there were no plans to prosecute the alleged spies, but
called on the Knesset to amend a law allowing Israelis to visit Iran, which
is not technically designated an enemy state.
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