Crime

By Pesach Benson • July 27, 2025

Jerusalem, 27 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — An Israeli citizen who immigrated from Iran in 1999 was indicted for espionage-related offenses, including contacting a foreign agent and transferring sensitive security information to the enemy during wartime, the Attorney General’s Office announced Sunday.

The indictment, filed in May in the Lod District Court, accuses the man of maintaining contact with an Iranian agent during 12 days of war with Iran in June and of supplying intelligence both at the agent’s request and independently. Prosecutors allege that his actions were intended to harm Israel’s national security.

According to the charges, the defendant — whose identity remains under gag order — was in a long-term romantic relationship with an Iranian woman living in the Islamic Republic. In 2024, he traveled to Turkey to meet her, during which time he also met with two officials affiliated with the Iranian regime. The indictment states that the man was aware of their hostile status toward Israel.

Following this meeting, the defendant maintained encrypted communication with an Iranian intelligence agent via the Telegram app. The prosecution says that over multiple occasions, he supplied classified or sensitive information related to Israeli military operations and strategic assets.

The suspect provided the Iranians with specific information regarding Israel’s drone activity, including the flight paths of unmanned aerial vehicles dispatched to Iran and damage sustained by an Israeli Air Force base during an Iranian missile strike — information prosecutors say was not publicly known at the time. Additionally, the defendant is accused of revealing the identity of an Iranian sailor who had been in contact with an Israeli associate of his.

“This is not just a matter of passive contact,” a representative of the prosecution said. “The defendant acted with initiative. He knew who he was speaking to, and he understood the implications of his actions.”

The prosecution has petitioned the court to keep the man in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings, arguing that his actions during a time of war pose an ongoing threat to national security.

“The timing of the offenses, amid ongoing hostilities, and the nature of the intelligence shared elevate the severity of the case and the defendant’s level of dangerousness,” the prosecution stated.

More than 30 Israelis have been charged with espionage on behalf of Iran in 2025.

Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne recently told The Press Service of Israel that after agents make contact with an Israeli, “It starts out slowly, with small jobs, and slowly the money increases, and they are asked to do more severe crimes as time goes on.”

Many of the spies are first asked to spray specific graffiti messages. Assignments often escalate to hanging flyers, starting fires, then taking photos of shopping malls, infrastructure, bases or the homes of Israeli figures. In some cases, they are asked to kill someone.