Iran’s intelligence services have abandoned traditional espionage doctrine in favor of a ruthless, aggressive model of mass recruitment. The method? Flooding social media platforms – Telegram,  Facebook, Instagram – with offers of easy cash for seemingly harmless tasks. Tragically, there’s always someone willing to click “yes.”

Picture a quiet evening at Ben-Gurion International Airport. A plane lands, and down the steps comes a 71-year-old Israeli citizen. But this is no return from an exotic holiday. This man, recently back from a covert mission to Iran, had met with his Iranian handlers. His assignment: to penetrate Israeli society and gather intelligence on senior figures.

For a brief moment, his arrest by the Shin Bet security agency rattled the nation. But when his sentencing came down, 10 years in prison, no fine, the shock turned to a whisper. Moti Maman, convicted of grave espionage, is expected to serve only about three years due to mitigating circumstances. No real deterrent. It was as if a burglar caught red-handed had been sent home with a stern warning.