Beer Sheva

According to the indictment filed by Adv. Linor Maimon to the Magistrate Court in Be’er Sheva, on July 21, 2025, the complainant was driving his vehicle on Route 4 near the Gan Yavne interchange. At some point, he noticed that the defendant’s vehicle was blocking the lane. After the defendant refused to clear the way, the complainant overtook him on the shoulder of the road. 

In response, the defendant ordered the complainant to stop his vehicle, approached the driver’s window, put his head inside the car, grabbed the complainant by the neck, pressed his head against his forehead, and threatened him, saying: “If my children are not in the car, I will murder you, I will kill you.” 

Subsequently, after the complainant commented on the defendant’s behavior, the defendant again blocked the complainant’s vehicle with his own, approached the complainant, choked him, threatened to murder him, and hit him with his fists, and using the complainant’s mobile phone which was in the car. As a result of the incident, the complainant sustained injuries.

The indictment attributes to the defendant offenses of assault causing actual bodily harm and threats. The investigation of the case was managed by the Southern Team in the Police Internal Investigations Department.

By Pesach Benson • December 3, 2025

Jerusalem, 3 December, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli security forces arrested an 18-year-old Negev resident suspected of plotting an ISIS-inspired suicide attack at a Beer-Sheva bus station, authorities said Wednesday.

The suspect was detained in November during a joint operation by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israeli Police. According to the joint statement, the suspect’s interrogation revealed deep involvement with Islamic State ideology and online extremist content. Investigators said he had begun preparing explosives and intended to target soldiers by detonating a device “under a bus in Beer-Sheva.”

Authorities added that the suspect had collected documents “dealing with training on how to prepare explosives,” which were allegedly intended to support his plans for a terrorist attack.

Security officials described the case as a major prevention. “This is a significant foiling, shedding light on the influence of the ISIS terrorist organization in Israel, which inspired murderous attacks in the past,” the Shin Bet and police said.

By Pesach Benson • November 20, 2025

Jerusalem, 20 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli authorities have charged a 21-year-old resident of Beer-Sheva with spying for Iran, alleging he carried out a series of missions on behalf of Iranian intelligence in the weeks before his arrest, it was cleared for publication on Thursday.

According to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police, Rafael Reuveni — who was arrested in October — established contact with Iranian intelligence operatives and agreed to conduct activities directed against Israeli security. His interrogation showed that he acted “while understanding that he was operating under Iranian direction and that his actions were intended to harm the security of the state.”

The indictment, filed Thursday in the Beer-Sheva District Court, outlines a series of assignments carried out at the instruction of his handlers. Prosecutors say Reuveni sent photographs he took around Beer-Sheva, “hid a phone and a pack of cigarettes for them,” and retrieved a SIM card from a hiding place as part of efforts to maintain covert communication channels.

He was also allegedly asked to check the status of a firearm that had been stashed for later use. “In accordance with these instructions, Reuveni arrived at the hiding place, located an object that appeared to be a gun, and moved it from one point to another,” the indictment states. Officials said Reuveni received substantial payments via digital transfer in return for the missions.

Security officials described the case as part of a persistent pattern of Iranian attempts to recruit Israelis for surveillance and sabotage roles.

The announcement came days after prosecutors filed a separate indictment against Shimon Azarzar of Kiryat Yam, who is accused of sending sensitive photographs and coordinates of strategic sites to Iranian operatives and leveraging information obtained through his partner, a reserve-duty soldier.

More than 30 Israelis have been charged with espionage on behalf of Iran in 2025.

Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne recently told The Press Service of Israel in July that after agents make contact with an Israeli, “It starts out slowly, with small jobs, and slowly the money increases, and they are asked to do more severe crimes as time goes on.”

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.

Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes marked a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.

During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured over 3,000.

By Pesach Benson • November 20, 2025

Jerusalem, 20 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Fires erupted overnight Wednesday to Thursday in nine residential buildings across Beer-Sheva, prompting large-scale rescue operations and raising suspicions of deliberate arson.

Firefighters pulled roughly 15 people from smoke-filled apartments, including infants and young children, according to the Fire and Rescue Service. Two adults — a 48-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man — were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in mild condition.

The first emergency calls reached the 102 hotline shortly before midnight, with additional reports continuing until around 3:00 a.m. Crews from the Beer-Sheva station raced between multiple three- to five-story buildings.

“Upon the arrival of the teams to the various scenes,” the fire department said, “the fighters identified fires in the building lobbies, in the electrical cabinets and in the shelters.”

Many of the locations were older buildings with enclosed stairwells, allowing smoke to spread quickly and complicating evacuations. Firefighters conducted floor-by-floor searches while working to extinguish the flames. Because smoke blocked escape routes in several buildings, crews instructed numerous residents to remain in their apartments, seal door frames with wet cloths, close windows and doors, and move to interior rooms.

“Most of the residents were instructed to lock themselves in their homes,” the department said, noting that the measure prevented further injuries.

Magen David Adom medics and paramedics were dispatched throughout the city, treating residents suffering from smoke inhalation. Several children were transported for additional evaluation.

A fire investigator called to the scenes found evidence consistent with intentional ignition. According to the Fire and Rescue Service, the preliminary assessment points to an “arson attack.” Police later confirmed that one suspect had been arrested, though no details on a possible motive were released.

Fire officials said the blazes originated from multiple ignition points, including electrical cabinets and furniture inside protected rooms, and that the simultaneous outbreaks posed significant danger to residents and complicated the overnight response. Authorities are continuing to investigate.