Israeli with American Citizenship Arrested for Spying for Iran

Jerusalem, 25 September, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli police arrested Yaakov Perl, 49, on suspicion of committing security offenses and having ties to Iranian officials. The suspect, who holds Israeli and American citizenship and who had lived in Morocco in recent years, arrived in Israel to allegedly carry out information-gathering missions on public figures under the direction of Iranian intelligence officials.

An investigation, said the police, revealed that during 2017, while living in Morocco, he contacted the Iranian embassy by telephone and requested asylum for himself and his family. After receiving no response, during 2023, while still residing in Morocco, Perel connected to Iranian news sites on Telegram and began publishing various articles against Israel and Zionism. After publishing an article in January 2025 about the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, he received a contact from an Iranian official who offered him cooperation, and Perel agreed.

Shortly after his arrival in Israel, he began carrying out a variety of security missions under the direction of Iranian intelligence officials. Among the missions he carried out were transmitting information about Israeli public figures and citizens, including former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, and taking photos and videos of various streets and places in Israel. For his activities, he received payment in cryptocurrency.