Authorities in northern Israel have filed a fourth indictment this month tied to alleged Islamic State links, following a cluster of cases that include two alleged plots against security forces and an ex-IDF soldier accused of preparing to join ISIS abroad. Nineteen-year-old Yaqoub Shibli was arrested on August 16 and charged with membership in a terrorist organization after investigators say he consumed ISIS material and pledged allegiance. Separate indictments involve a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old accused of plotting attacks, and a 30-year-old former soldier accused of seeking training and travel to join the group.
Fourth Northern Israel Resident Indicted Over Alleged ISIS Ties Amid Cluster Of Cases
Israel Police and IDF readiness drills continue as part of Operations Advancing the Wall and Southern Wind to prepare in case of future Octover 7-style attacks, September 7, 2026. (photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE SPOKESPERSON
Yaqoub Shibli, a 19-year-old resident of the northern village of Shibli, was charged on Monday with membership in a terrorist organization following his arrest on August 16, authorities said. His indictment is the fourth in a concentrated series of cases from northern Israel linked to alleged ties with the Islamic State (ISIS) in under two weeks.
Details Of The Cases
Shibli was arrested in a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police Northern District's central investigative unit. Investigators allege he expressed support for ISIS, consumed material about the group and pledged allegiance. The prosecution filed the indictment at the Nof Hagalil–Nazareth Magistrate's Court. That filing follows three other indictments brought against northern residents since August 28.
Illustration image of handcuffs on the hands of an arrested man, in Jerusalem, May 21, 2025. (credit: YOSSI ZAMIR/FLASH90)
In one earlier case, Haifa district prosecutors charged a 16-year-old from the Galilee and Ibrahim Kaabia, 19, of Haifa. Authorities allege both pledged allegiance to ISIS and separately developed plans to attack security personnel: officials say the minor searched online for instructions related to explosives and intended to target police officers and soldiers at the Temple Mount, while Kaabia is accused of plotting an attack on an IDF base in northern Israel.
Kaabia's lawyer, Suhad Aga-Dahla, rejected the allegation that he planned an attack, saying his exposure to ISIS material was driven by curiosity and that he is a loyal citizen.
Five days after those charges, prosecutors indicted Khamis Su'ad, 30, of Huseiniya in the Galilee, on charges of training or receiving instruction for terrorist purposes. According to the indictment, Su'ad — who served in the IDF from 2017 to 2019 — developed an identification with ISIS beginning in 2023, saved money to travel to Syria or parts of Africa to join the group, and viewed instructional material on combat, weapons and the manufacture of missiles and drones.
Scope And Response
The four cases represent a spectrum of alleged conduct, from consuming extremist content and pledging allegiance to preparing or planning violent acts and seeking training to fight abroad. Police and the Shin Bet said they will continue operations to detect and disrupt Israeli citizens suspected of acting on behalf of terrorist organizations.
Help us improve.
