Israel breaks up Iranian espionage ring - as 13 more killed in bombing of Beirut

Israel's security services have broken up a major spy ring that was gathering information on behalf of Iranian intelligence.

The Shin Bet and police said it was just the latest attempt by Tehran to recruit Israelis for espionage.

Seven Israelis from Israel's north, including the port city of Haifa, were arrested after an investigation found they had gathered intelligence on military bases and energy and port infrastructure, a joint Shin Bet and police statement said.

Israeli police said the security breach was among the most serious ever seen by Israel.

"The assessment is that the activity of the members of the ring has caused security damage to the security of the state," a senior source with the Shin Bet security service said.

Iran's foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment.

But it is understood that the suspects, who included two minors, had been tasked by two agents from Iran's intelligence service to carry out hundreds of information gathering tasks on military bases across the country.

The targets included a power plant in the northern town of Hadera, military bases with an emphasis on the air force and navy, as well as Israel's Iron Dome air defence batteries and ports, the statement said.

The suspects worked in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars, part of which was processed using cryptocurrency.

"As part of the investigation, many materials seized were collected by the members of the ring and handed over to the Iranian agents," the senior Shin Bet source said.

The suspects acted out of greed for money "and hurt the state of Israel and its citizens," the police added.

An indictment is expected to be served in coming days by the Israeli prosecutor's office.

In September, Israel's security services arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot against prominent people including the prime minister.

But Israel also has a long history of intelligence operations in Iran, allegedly including the assassination in July of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in a Tehran state guesthouse.

Israel has made no claim of responsibility for that killing.

Meanwhile, the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon continued with 13 people including a child were confirmed dead in an Israeli air strike near the main government hospital in southern Beirut.

The Lebanese health ministry said the strike appeared to hit the car park of the Rafik Hariri University Hospital.