The Iranian flag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Ali Mansouri, 58, an Iranian national arrested more than a year ago on suspicions of spying for Iran against Israel, will confess to the charges against him after initially denying them and will be sentenced to a prison term of seven to eight years. Mansouri’s plea deal will be presented to the Lod District Court in central Israel.

In October 2013, Mansouri was indicted on charges of spying for Iran. When he was arrested, Israeli authorities recovered many photographs of various Israeli sites, including Ben-Gurion International Airport, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, and several defense-related sites.

It was discovered that Mansouri had entered Israel several times using a Belgian passport under the name of “Alex Mans” and posed as a businessman. In reality, however, Mansouri was working for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ special ops unit—a body responsible for multiple terror attacks against Israeli targets around the world.

According to the charges, Mansouri arrived in Israel to build a network that was to be used by a more senior Iranian agent in the future. He initially denied the allegations, but subsequently said the Iranians forced him to act by threatening to harm his family. He is expected to admit to the amended charges of contact with a foreign agent and espionage.