The Israeli Shin Bet announced Jan. 3 the dismantling and arrest of an espionage cell working for Iran in the West Bank city of Hebron. The cell’s leader, Muhammed Maharma from Hebron, was paid $8,000 by Iran to recruit suicide bombers and gunmen to carry out attacks against Israelis, according to the Shin Bet.

Consequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an official statement published by Haaretz on the same day that Iran was trying to harm Israel by organizing terrorist activities.

Many questions were raised about Israel accusing Iran of operating in the Palestinian arena. One can’t help but wonder whether Israel has accurate information about the Iranian intervention, question the timing of these accusations and doubt the nature of Iran's growing influence among the Palestinians.

Maj. Gen. Wasef Erekat, a Palestinian military expert in the West Bank and former artillery unit commander of the PLO, told Al-Monitor, “Iranian support in the Palestinian arena is focused on providing funds and weapons to military cells without forming military groups directly affiliated with it, which is why finding an Iran-affiliated cell is unlikely. Iran is not interested in creating military bodies outside the organizations it [already] supports, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.”