(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Israeli authorities have arrested a 49-year-old Israeli-American dual citizen named Yaakov Perel on charges of spying for Iran. The bust happened this month in Tel Aviv, and officials say Perel gathered sensitive information on Israeli leaders and everyday citizens to help Tehran’s intelligence operations.
Perel had been living in Morocco for years before heading back to Israel. Back in 2017, while in Morocco, he reached out to the Iranian embassy in Rabat, asking for asylum for himself and his family. They never replied, so he kept connecting with pro-Iranian groups online. By 2023, he started writing articles slamming Israel and Zionism for Iranian news outlets on Telegram.
Things heated up after Perel penned a piece supporting the January 2025 funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel took out in a September 2024 airstrike in Beirut. Soon after, an Iranian official contacted him and offered a partnership. Perel jumped on board, according to Israel’s Security Agency, known as Shin Bet.
Before flying back to Israel, Perel tried recruiting others at home and abroad to join the spy effort, but that didn’t pan out. He renewed his Israeli passport and returned in July 2025. Right away, he kicked off missions for Iran, collecting intel on big names like former military chief Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. He even snapped photos and videos of Israeli streets and public spots, getting paid in cryptocurrency for his work.
Investigators say Perel knew full well his actions could hurt Israel’s security. His motive? A strong ideological beef with Zionism.
Prosecutors plan to file charges soon in Tel Aviv District Court. The Shin Bet and Israeli police warn this case shows how hard Iran pushes to recruit Israelis for espionage and even terrorism. They note it’s especially serious right now, with Israel fighting on multiple fronts, and one of its own citizens working from the inside for the enemy.
This isn’t a one-off—more than 30 Israelis face Iran-related spying charges in 2025 alone. Israeli police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne explained to The Press Service of Israel how these operations often start small. “It begins with easy tasks, like spraying graffiti with specific messages,” he said. “Then the pay goes up, and they get pushed into bigger stuff: hanging flyers, setting fires, snapping pics of malls, bases, infrastructure, or even leaders’ homes. In the worst cases, it turns to murder plots.”
The arrest comes amid skyrocketing tensions between Israel and Iran. In June, Israel hit Iranian nuclear sites with preemptive strikes, based on intel that Tehran was racing toward nuclear weapons. Officials say Iran can now quickly enrich uranium for up to 15 bombs and has a secret program to build full nuclear devices. They see it as part of Iran’s bigger plan: nukes, missiles, and proxy attacks aimed at wiping out Israel.
That sparked 12 days of intense fighting, with Iranian missiles killing 28 Israelis and wounding over 3,000. Shin Bet vows to keep hunting down spies and saboteurs, both in Israel and overseas, to protect the nation.
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