In a joint statement on Monday, the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police announced the arrest of two Israeli citizens accused of carrying out a series of sabotage acts on behalf of Iran and plotting to assassinate a senior Israeli figure.

The suspects have been identified as Vladislav Viktorson, 30, from Ramat Gan, and his 18-year-old partner, Anna Bernstein. According to authorities, Viktorson was approached by an Iranian operative going by the name “Mari Hossi.” Following the contact, Viktorson recruited Bernstein, and together they executed various acts of sabotage, including spraying provocative graffiti, placing inflammatory posters, setting fire to cars near Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, and committing acts of arson in local forests.

The duo allegedly carried out these activities under direct instructions from Hossi, who communicated with them in Hebrew. They filmed some of the sabotage acts and were reportedly paid $5,000 for their efforts.

The statement further revealed that the two were later asked to escalate their actions by assassinating a prominent Israeli figure, with instructions to throw a hand grenade into the target’s home. The name of the target was not disclosed. Authorities say Viktorson and Bernstein agreed to carry out the assassination and had been attempting to acquire weapons at the time of their arrest.

In recent months, the Shin Bet has uncovered several Iranian plots aimed at recruiting Israelis to perform intelligence-gathering or sabotage missions for Tehran. One such scheme, exposed in January, involved efforts to enlist Israelis to collect information on high-profile individuals in the country.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)