An ambulance driver from the Galilee was charged Thursday morning with espionage for Iran, which included spying on President Isaac Herzog and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as they visited a northern hospital.

Amir Hisham Mohammad Titi, a 34-year-old man from the Arab village of Bi’ina, was arrested last month and indicted Thursday in the Haifa District Court, police announced. His arrest is the latest in a string of cases of Israelis arrested for alleged espionage on behalf of the Islamic Republic.

Titi is accused of exploiting his access to medical centers across Israel to pass sensitive intelligence to his Iranian handler, including information about hospitals’ preparedness in emergency situations.

During a visit by Herzog and Smotrich to Nahariya’s Galilee Medical Center, the accused allegedly reached out to his handler on his own initiative, notifying him of their appearance at the hospital.

He sent a photo of Herzog and his entourage to the Iranian agent, prosecutors said.

The alleged espionage went beyond Titi’s work as an ambulance driver, and the defendant was also sent to protest locations, including Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and the site of a demonstration in Haifa, prosecutors said.

The accused also traveled to Amikam, the moshav where former defense minister Yoav Gallant resides,........

© The Times of Israel