By Pesach Benson • April 3, 2026
Jerusalem, 3 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli prosecutors have indicted a 47-year-old citizen accused of maintaining contact with an Iranian Agent and passing sensitive information during wartime, authorities said on Friday.
The State Prosecutor’s Office said Mekdad Natour, a resident of the central Israeli city of Qalansawe, faces charges of contacting a foreign agent, espionage, and destruction of evidence. The indictment was submitted to the Central District Court in Lod.
According to the indictment filed in the Central District Court in Lod, Mekdad Natour, a resident of the central Israeli city of Qalansawe, had worked for years as a sign language interpreter for various state bodies, including the police, prison service, courts, and national insurance system. In 2025, he allegedly began communicating with an individual identifying himself as “Abu Ali,” who offered him monthly payments in exchange for posting content on a Telegram channel.
Prosecutors say Natour continued the relationship despite suspecting the individual was acting on behalf of an enemy state. The alleged contact persisted even during 12 days of war with Iran in June 2025.
“His actions, which included cooperation with a hostile entity seeking to harm the security of the state, while the State of Israel is in a state of war, as well as his willingness to carry out actions and deepen the relationship with him, indicate the real danger he poses to the security of the state,” the indictment said.
The indictment states that Natour provided ongoing updates from inside Israel, including information on the security situation, public morale, damage from rocket fire, and the status of essential services such as water, electricity, and internet. He also allegedly shared photographs and reports from rocket impact sites and security incidents, including the interception of a drone in the northern coastal city of Nahariya.
In addition, prosecutors say Natour was instructed to compile daily reports on civilian life during wartime and was asked to visit hospitals near missile strike locations to gather information on casualties.
After being told by the contact that some of the information had already appeared in media reports, Natour allegedly offered to expand his activities by recruiting others to obtain non-public information.
Authorities further allege that Natour took deliberate steps to conceal his actions, including deleting messages, using an anonymous Telegram account, and communicating through encrypted or “protected messages.”