Jerusalem, 5 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli authorities have arrested and indicted a Rishon Lezion resident on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-gathering missions for Iranian operatives, including photographing near the home of former prime minister Naftali Bennett, it was cleared for publication on Monday.
According to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the israel police, the suspect, Lachao Damsash, was in contact with Iranian intelligence elements and carried out a range of tasks at their direction in exchange for payment. The money was allegedly transferred through digital wallets on the Binance trading platform. Damash was arrested in December.
The investigation found that Damsash was identified after photographing near Bennett’s residence. Damash later told authorities that his handler had instructed him to purchase a road camera, an old mobile phone, and a SIM card to maintain contact. The camera was installed in his vehicle in a way that allowed remote access and live video transmission using a username and password. After parking near Bennett’s home on December 3, security guards approached Damsash, prompting him to flee the scene. He was arrested about a week later.
Prosecutors allege that the defendant also documented a street in Herzliya for several hours using the car-mounted camera. Additional filming missions were allegedly carried out in Yavne and Petah Tikva. He is also accused of traveling to shopping malls in Rishon Lezion and Ashdod, filming his routes, and sending the footage to his handler for payment.
Other tasks included purchasing cigarettes and drinks at kiosks in various cities and sending receipts to the foreign agent. According to the indictment, Damsash continued to act on the agent’s instructions despite suspecting their nature.
Security officials said the case resembles a previously disclosed investigation involving Vadim Kupriyanov, who was also accused of photographing near Bennett’s home and was later indicted on serious espionage charges.
More than 30 Israelis have been charged with espionage on behalf of Iran in 2025.
Israeli Police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne told The Press Service of Israel in July 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.”
Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. During 12 days of fighting, Iranian missile strikes killed 28 Israelis and injured over 3,000.
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