Israeli-American indicted for spying for Iran as Tehran steps up espionage in Israel
Iran has been seeking to recruit both Jews and Arabs for surveillance activities inside Israel.
An Israeli-American man was indicted in a Tel Aviv court on Friday on charges of spying for Iran, just weeks after another Israeli was convicted of espionage on behalf of the Islamic Republic.
Yaakov Perl, 49, was charged with spying on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi for an Iranian handler, the State Attorney’s office announced. Perl’s arrest, which took place in early September, was first announced by authorities on Thursday.
Ben-Gvir, a far-right religious Zionist known for his harsh stances on the Gaza war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, did not immediately comment on the news.
Perl historically posted anti-Israel content online. He began following the anti-Zionist Satmar religious movement in 2014 while living in Morocco, where he has spent considerable time in recent years. Perl sought asylum at the Iranian Embassy in Rabat in 2017 but did not receive a response from the Iranian government, Israeli media reported, citing prosecutors.
