Prosecutors filed charges Friday against an IDF reservist and his associate, accusing them of spying for Iran over the course of months, as law enforcement announced they had arrested a man on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Tehran at a Dead Sea hotel.

Reservist Maor Kringel, 27, allegedly carried out espionage missions for Iranian agents starting in mid-2024 until his August arrest and later recruited the second defendant, Tal Amram, for the same purpose, the State Attorney’s Office said.

The indictment came as law enforcement ramped up its campaign against the burgeoning threat of Iranian espionage, in which agents have succeeded in recruiting Israelis online to carry out missions on the Islamic Republic’s behalf.

Kringel had been on reserve duty for part of the time of his alleged contact with Iranian agents. At one point, his handler suggested he assassinate his commanding officer in return for NIS 100,000 ($30,000), but the accused did not follow through, the indictment noted.

The reservist nevertheless exploited his position within the military to share army base locations with his handlers. He also took photos of the Shin Bet headquarters and passed them along to the Iranian agents, prosecutors said.

When off-duty, Kringel passed along documentation of ports, shops, malls, private homes, public spaces, municipal and government buildings to the agents at their behest, the indictment continued.

In January, Kringel ramped up his espionage activities and recruited 26-year-old Amram, putting him in contact with Iranian agents. The pair, who are both residents of Holon, allegedly burned IDF uniforms together in a grove in the city, the indictment said. It was unclear if this was documented.

Kringel was charged with severe security offenses, including aiding an enemy during wartime, 26 counts of sharing intelligence that could assist the enemy and 12 counts of sharing intelligence with the enemy with the intent to harm national security.

Amram, who was not known to have gathered intelligence on Iran’s behalf, was charged solely with maintaining contact with a foreign agent.

The two were indicted in the Tel Aviv District Court and prosecutors requested they remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings.

Earlier Friday, the Shin Bet and police announced they had recently arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of intelligence-gathering on Iran’s behalf at a Dead Sea hotel.

The 23-year-old suspect had worked at the hotel during the time of the alleged espionage, in which he took photographs of the hotel’s premises and surrounding area, the security agencies said.

The exact circumstances of the suspect’s arrest were unclear from the statement, with police noting that the investigation is ongoing.

The suspects represent just three of dozens of Iranian espionage cases to be exposed over the past two years, as authorities intensify efforts to crack down on spies recruited online by Iranian agents.

Dozens of cases have come to light over the past two years in which Iranian agents have successfully recruited Israelis into espionage schemes via social media, specifically the Telegram messaging app. Most of the accused spies start out with innocuous tasks that gradually grow into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and assassination plots.

The growing number of Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing for them in Haifa’s Damon prison.

The effort appears to be part of a mass recruitment scheme by Tehran to gather intelligence on Israel’s alleged nuclear and military sites, as well as key Israeli figures such as defense officials and top scientists.