JERUSALEM — Jonathan Pollard, an American who served a 30-year sentence for spying for Israel, defends his actions in his first interview since arriving in Israel late last year. He says America had "stabbed Israel in the back" by withholding intelligence from its ally.

In excerpts from the interview with the Israel Hayom daily published Monday, Pollard describes his happiness at being a free man in Israel while expressing regret that he was not able to father children because of his incarceration. Israel Hayom was founded by the late casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who also provided a private plane to bring Pollard and his wife to Israel in December. The newspaper said it would publish its full interview with Pollard on Friday.

Pollard, now 66, sold military secrets to Israel while working as a civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy in the 1980s. He was arrested in 1985 after trying unsuccessfully to gain asylum at the Israeli Embassy in Washington and pleaded guilty. The espionage affair embarrassed Israel and tarnished its relations with the United States for years.