3 IDF soldiers and a civilian charged with spying for Iran
The suspects filmed civilian and military sites across Israel and provided the information to Iranian agents who contacted them on Telegram, according to the indictment
Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers and a civilian will be indicted on charges of espionage after allegedly maintaining long-term contact with and performing certain tasks for Iran-linked actors, a joint statement by the Israeli military, police and intelligence agency.
The soldiers, who were trainees at an Israel Air Force technical school, are suspected of photographing the premises at the request of the Iranian handler. The suspects also allegedly filmed public facilities and the placement of security cameras.
It is understood soldiers began interacting with their handler before conscripting to the IDF, while still minors.
According to the indictment, the suspects are residents of Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. They were in contact from January to March 2025 with people who presented themselves as Iranian agents using the usernames “NOVITAMIN” and “CLARK” through Telegram.
Some of the tasks solicited by the agents were rejected by the suspects, while they agreed to receive thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency for others.
“This affair follows a series of recent cases that all point to recurrent efforts by hostile terrorist and intelligence elements to recruit Israeli citizens to carry out missions intended to harm the security of Israel and its residents,” the IDF, police and the Mossad said in a joint statement.