007 – Middle-East style!

Barbara Diamond | Jan 31, 2025

Archives New Zealand from New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0 

Most of us feel that we understand the spy-game intimately. We have been invited into its glamour, drama, twists and turns through the creative minds of Ken Follet, Tom Clancey, John le Carre and the Grand-daddy of them all…. Ian Fleming. There are hundreds of authors who entice us into the world of intrigue. Hollywood has made billions of dollars quenching our thirst for the excitement and the glamour.  But it is not quite like that. Certainly not here in the Middle East.

Treachery and treason are alive and well in Israel… as they are in almost every country on this planet. Most of us in Israel really did think that we were different. Truly, we live here because we really love our country and would not consider working for those who want to destroy it. But then…there are the “others.”

Every country has their “others”-people who are not happy with their lives, people who wish to do others ill, people who are desperate for financial reward. We in Israel… deluded ourselves that we are different. Of course, there are those of us…who are not.

The government of Israel does not delude itself. It is just you and I who have been living in the world of fantasy. Maybe not you… but certainly I. The Israeli government is well armed with checks and double-checks when hiring for sensitive jobs at the Rafael defense industry…in research and development… In government security-clearance positions, and in the world of banking…among others.

And still… spies succeed on different levels and do us harm.

The intricacies of the spy industry in the Middle East …in Russia…in China…in Iran…are inter-connected. The triad of our enemies work together and have developed sophisticated methods for finding the weak links in our population.

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Ministry of Defense work together in this regard and also use the social media app “Telegram”, which Israel monitors having caught a number of people in their grasp. The Iranians look for Israelis who are frustrated Olim, or those who have anger against our Prime Minister and then begin to develop a relationship with that individual.

At a recent press conference with Dr. Eyal Pinko, Senior Research Fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center and lecturer on national security, intelligence, and cyber strategy at Bar-Ilan University, explained to the English reporters here in Jerusalem, how the Iranians have developed their espionage in Israel over the past five years.  Facebook is one of the major tools used to find lonely individuals ripe for the plucking. Once befriended, then conversations begin on “Messenger” which allows the development of trust over a period of time. Lonely women are frequently lured, and with time… friendships evolve. In person meetings can solidify the relationships and then the requests of “favors”: photographs of certain areas, documents…training manuals…whatever might be helpful to our enemy. There is a different approach with potential male candidates.

Much of the discord that Israel has witnessed in its population- large protests…rallies…burning of tires or cars… violence.. blocking of highways… has been promoted by the Iranian agents who pose as Israelis and stir up resentment against our government on different social media sites.  The damage that this has caused to us as a nation is beyond measure.  They are looking to destroy the moral within our borders, and are having more success than we like to admit. How many Israelis have even considered that they are pawns in a much larger game when they join protests to complain about our government? Perhaps there are more constructive ways to voice one’s concerns?

In the past year, all of the Israeli spies who were caught were immigrants from the Soviet Union. The “Hezbollah 200 Unit” is their intelligence agency which searches for the weak links in our population. They select individuals who have no emotional connection to the nation and who are filled with resentment. These are considered “low-level” spies, but every bit of information that they provide strengthens our enemy.

Dr. Pinko explains that different methods for recruiting exist in different ethnic groups. It is easy for members of the Israeli-Arab community to be contacted directly.  Even if they decline the offer, they are unlikely to communicate with the Israeli authorities to warn them about such efforts.  He shared an example of a classic scenario to lure in a potential male spy. Either the handler claims he has a start-up which is looking for information and is hiring Israelis, or perhaps he/she is an activist looking for supporters for their political cause. Entrapping an the individual and getting them to provide small bits of information, is just the beginning. Once small missions have been fulfilled, the handler then has the ability to lure the provider with money, opportunity, and travel… which creates excitement and purpose.  Then requests for larger-scale spying come forth and if the subject decides that he/she is in “over their heads” and wants “out”… they are then blackmailed into participation. Once someone begins on this path, there is almost no retreat possible.   Dr Pinko explained that we are probably only aware of about 10%n of the actual activity in our midst.

He explained that the Chinese have developed spying into an industry. It is known among security agencies that they have 600,000 spies all over the globe.  In the last twelve years, six hundred Chinese spies have been caught in the United States.   The Chinese are spying on absolutely everyone. Their objectives are technical knowledge and military intelligence.  China and Iran work directly together and share their information. This is one of the reasons why the social media site Tik-Tok which is owned by the Chinese, is so very dangerous and irreputable.

The need for Israeli vigilance is greater than ever.  Israel knows that it must increase the intensity and thoroughness of it security apparatus. Members of our military must be scrutinized even more strictly when they enter areas of military responsibility or access.  Even a photo taken on a cellphone can be of value to our enemies. Our civilians can also do great harm if they join the interests of our enemies.

During World War II, in Europe …there was a popular saying: “Loose lips…sink ships.” Fast forward to the 21st century, where now the click of a cellphone camera can endanger an entire nation.  While Israel’s security agencies have been concerned about these issues for a very long time, it is only now becoming evident to the public. We are a little country…. with all the issues which plague the larger ones. Each of us has a part to play in the defense of our nation. Our “citizen’s army” must remain aware and vigilant with so many who wish to do us harm. Knowledge is indeed… power.


Born in the Washington DC area, Barbara has been a pro Israel activist for over four decades, having had a radio show in Jerusalem called “Barbara Diamond One on One” , doing in depth interviews which aired in Israel and in the UK. She participated in missions to the USSR to meet with Refuseniks, to Ethiopia with a medical team to help the Jewish villages and to China to open up relations prior to China recognizing the State of Israel, She has been pro-active lobbying congress and helping to start a Pro Israel PAC in Los Angeles. She stays involved through the Jerusalem Press Club attending up to the moment briefings which she would like to share with the readers. During the current war between Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houtis and Iran…she is publishing a weekly “Israel War Diary” in the Jewish Press and on 100 Pro-Israel Facebook groups. Ms. Diamond is the author of the new website – thedementiadiary.com and is the 2018 recipient of the “StandWithUs”-Israel leadership award.

February 2, 2025 | Comments »

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