The Shin Bet security agency, Israeli military prosecutors and Israeli police announced jointly Thursday that two mechanics from the Israeli Air Force’s most operationally active F-15 squadron have been charged with a series of espionage offences on behalf of Iranian intelligence. The announcement is one of the most serious security disclosures in Israeli military history — made while the war itself is still nominally in ceasefire.
Who They Are and What They Did
The suspects, identified as Asaf Shitrit and Sagi Haik, served as mechanics and avionics specialists in the 133rd “Knights of the Twin Tail” Squadron at Tel Nof Airbase. Both have been detained for several weeks, with an indictment expected to be filed at the Central District Court in Lod. Charges under preparation include assisting the enemy during wartime, with prosecutors considering elevating one case to treason.
Haik, a 19-year-old from Ness Ziona, was arrested last month after investigators said he had maintained contact for several months with an Iranian agent and carried out tasks under direction.
According to the investigation, he “agreed to undergo training in one of the Arab countries and was even asked to recruit additional individuals to carry out tasks under their direction.” Authorities said members of his family received direct threats from the same agent during this period.
What Was Passed to Iran
The probe, led by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and military prosecutors, found that the technicians allegedly maintained contact over several months with operatives from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization. Authorities state that the suspects transferred classified material during Operation Roaring Lion in early 2026.
The compromised information includes technical data on the F-15 “Baaz” variants, specifically covering avionics and self-protection systems, as well as internal documentation such as engine schematics. The suspects are also accused of providing photographs revealing the identity of an IAF flight instructor, in violation of military censorship rules.
Army Radio reported that the Iranian handler asked one of the soldiers to assassinate IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. The soldier told an Iranian agent that he would “check it and try,” according to the report.
The Wider Investigation
Eight additional soldiers stationed at Tel Nof Airbase are under investigation for allegedly being aware of the activity and not reporting it to authorities. Following the case, the base commander held an information security briefing for personnel and said he had been called in for clarification by the Shin Bet.
Eight soldiers who knew and said nothing. That is the most disturbing element of the case from an institutional perspective: not that Iran successfully recruited two mechanics, but that their activities were apparently visible enough that eight other people were aware of them without triggering any internal report.
How Iran Recruits Israelis
The alleged spying joins a long string of similar scandals in which ordinary Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out tasks at the behest of Iran-linked agents they met online. Iranian agents usually start out their recruits with relatively mundane tasks such as vandalism or the filming of public locations, which then escalate into more severe, sometimes even violent offences.
The pattern is consistent: contact online, small tasks first, escalation over months, coercion via threats to family when the recruit becomes uncomfortable. In this case, the escalation went from base photographs to engine schematics to a request to assassinate a general — with threats to Haik’s family reportedly used to maintain compliance when he hesitated.
The case will be studied in military security training for decades. It took place in the 133rd Squadron at Tel Nof — the same aircraft and the same base that flew strike missions against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military facilities during Operation Roaring Lion. The intelligence value to the IRGC of those F-15 technical specifications, during an active air campaign using exactly those aircraft, was significant.
