18 Facts About Shimon Levinson

Shimon Levinson was a senior Israeli intelligence officer who was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union in 1991.

Shimon Levinson is considered to have been one of the highest-ranking KGB moles in Israel.

Shimon Levinson was born in Jerusalem during the British Mandate era in 1933.

Shimon Levinson was employed in Mossad until March 1967, and returned to the Israel-Jordan Armistice Committee until its dissolution in July 1967.

Shimon Levinson later joined Israel's United Nations liaison unit, and eventually became its commander, serving until 1970.

Shimon Levinson then returned to Mossad and joined TEVEL, the Mossad department responsible for liaison with allied governments, and served two years as head of the TEVEL station in Ethiopia.

Shimon Levinson was in charge of organizing secret military aid to the Ethiopian government in its war against Eritrean rebels.

Shimon Levinson was reposted to Israel after causing a security mishap, and served as special assistant to the head of special liaison until 1973.

Shimon Levinson served in this position until 1978, when he retired from the IDF out of frustration over the refusal of IDF Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan to promote him any further.

Shimon Levinson served until June 1983, and near the end of his UN service in Thailand, he ran into financial troubles after repeated failed attempts to start his own businesses.

Shimon Levinson was trained in the art of coded messages, radio communications, and secret rendezvous, and told what kind of information the KGB was interested in.

Shimon Levinson subsequently provided his handlers the structure of the Israeli intelligence community, providing detailed information including names and details of units, sub-units, identities of their chiefs, and their modus operandi, details on the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and even provided to KGB with original documents, and information on US intelligence officers in contact with Israeli intelligence.

Shimon Levinson provided his KGB handlers with the structure of the Prime Minister's Office.

Shimon Levinson was lured back to Israel from abroad and arrested at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Shimon Levinson was tried in the Tel Aviv District Court.

Shimon Levinson was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Shimon Levinson served seven years of his twelve-year sentence, and was released in 1999 after a third of his sentence had been deducted for good behavior.

When Shimon Levinson was released, he rented an apartment in Jerusalem, and became socially secluded.