The Israeli internal security agency known by the acronym "Shin Bet" has declassified that in recent months, two residents of Judea and Samaria, Yosef Manzor and Marsil Manzor, were arrested for investigation to due a suspected Iranian connection.
During the investigation, it was determined that following a continuous relationship with officials aligned with the Hezbollah terrorist organization and Iran, the two agreed to smuggle weapons to Israel and trade them, while assisting terrorism in Israel. The agreement was made with the two’s full understanding that their actions posed a risk to the State of Israel.
The Shin Bet investigation revealed that at the request of the same officials on behalf of Hezbollah, Yosef agreed to gather information about the Israel Defense Forces activities in the Samaria region and in central Israel and to recruit additional operatives for those parties for the purpose of promoting terrorism against Israeli civilians. For the benefit of that activity, the officials transferred funds to Yosef and Marsil on several occasions.
weapons, spying on IDF positions, and recruiting people in West Bank. In the investigation made by Shin Bet, it was found that Yousef and Muhammad Beshir used encrypted software to communicate with each other.
— Quds_IntelLab (@IntellabQuds) April 17, 2023
The investigation also revealed that as part of the secret relationship between Yosef and "Mohammed Bashir", the nickname given for their Hezbollah contact, Yosef used dedicated software for encrypting content and a dedicated email address. At the end of the investigation by the Shin Bet, indictments were filed against Yosef and Marsil attributing serious security offenses to them.
According to Shin Bet intelligence, it is known that Mohammed Bashir and the other Hezbollah terrorist involved, Hoda Mahana, belong to a unit of the Iranian Quds Force that is believed to be assisting the Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Palestinian Authority. The unit they are involved with is headed by Saeed Izadi.
This investigation led to the disclosure of methods of operation of the Iranian Quds Force and Hezbollah, which work to locate and recruit operatives from Judea and Samaria to promote terrorist activity against the State of Israel.
The Shin Bet uncovered attempts by Hezbollah and the IRGC to enlist Palestinians in the West Bank to carry out terror attacks against Israelis. #IRGCterrorists https://t.co/eV1PaIiS92
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) April 17, 2023
The Shin Bet’s announcement of the capturing of Iranian operatives comes directly after Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian President, threatened that "any mistake Israel makes against Iran will result in a severe reaction from the Iranian forces, which will lead to the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv." In a speech he gave in Tehran as part of the Iranian "Army Day", Raisi further added, "The foreign forces operating in the region, and especially the US military, must leave as soon as possible." According to him, "Iran's presence in the region ensures security and stability, while the presence of foreign forces achieves the opposite."
