Nearly two years after the first major Iranian espionage case was exposed in Israel, dozens of Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian operatives, including surveillance, sabotage and assassination plots.
The first case that drew widespread attention involved Mordechai “Moti” Maman, a 72-year-old resident of Ashkelon, who was arrested in September 2024 and accused of contact with a foreign agent after allegedly being recruited by Iran to promote, among other things, plans to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and the head of the Shin Bet.
“I don’t know what would have happened if they had brought me money, a million dollars, and what I would have done,” Maman said during his interrogation. “We are only human.”
Since then, Israeli authorities have uncovered a series of additional cases involving citizens allegedly recruited by Iranian intelligence networks.
Some suspects were allegedly asked to photograph the homes of ministers, lawmakers and former senior political figures, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Others were accused of collecting information about IDF bases, while some allegedly received more direct assignments, including setting vehicles on fire, creating public disorder and carrying out assassination-related missions.
Assassination plots and targeted surveillance
Maman’s case included allegations that he entered Iran twice and discussed possible terror operations in Israel with Iranian agents.
In October 2024, authorities announced another case involving two Ramat Gan residents, Vladislav Victorsson, 30, and his partner Anna Bernstein, 18. Victorsson was accused of communicating with an Iranian operative and carrying out tasks including hiding money and setting vehicles on fire. According to the indictment, he also agreed to consider carrying out an assassination mission inside Israel.
Vladislav Victorsson
(Photo: Yuval Chen)
A week later, another case was uncovered involving seven Israeli citizens who immigrated from Azerbaijan, including a father and son.
In another October 2024 investigation, seven people aged 19 to 23 from Jerusalem’s Beit Safafa neighborhood were arrested on suspicion of carrying out espionage missions for Iran over several months.
According to investigators, their main assignment was to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist and a mayor.
Benjamin Weiss
(Photo: Maya Cohen)
Later that month, Benjamin Weiss of Bnei Brak was charged with following an Israeli nuclear scientist as part of an alleged assassination plot.
That same day, Rafael and Lala Guliyev, a couple from Lod aged 32 and 29, were arrested after allegedly carrying out missions for an Iranian network recruiting “Israelis originally from Caucasus countries.”
Tracking officials and military targets
Additional investigations focused on surveillance of Israeli political figures and security sites.
In early 2025, an indictment was filed against Alexander Granovsky, 29, from Petah Tikva. According to the allegations, he photographed the neighborhood where Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity party, lives, as well as a power station in Tel Aviv.
That same month, two 21-year-old reservists from the Krayot area, Yuri Eliasfov and Georgi Andreyev, were arrested in another serious case.
Eliasfov, who served in the Iron Dome system, was accused of beginning espionage activity while in mandatory service and continuing after becoming a reservist. According to authorities, he transferred footage related to the system after being asked to do so by his operators.
Doron Bokobza
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
A month later, Daniel Kitov, 26, from Petah Tikva, was charged after allegedly being asked to photograph the home of former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and offering to photograph Gantz’s home as well.
Other cases involved alleged attempts to gather information on infrastructure and military facilities.
Doron Bokobza, 29, from Be'er Sheva, an instrumentation engineer at Haifa Chemicals South, was accused of initiating contact with Iran and offering information to Iranian agents.
Edward Yusupov, 65, from Netivot, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out surveillance missions and photographing infrastructure and security sites.
Recruited without a typical profile
Authorities have repeatedly emphasized that the suspects do not fit a single profile.
One of the most unusual cases involved a 13-and-a-half-year-old boy from Tel Aviv, who was arrested in June 2025. Police and Shin Bet officials said Iranian operatives contacted the minor through Telegram and asked him to carry out missions in exchange for money.
Other suspects included young people allegedly recruited through social media platforms and cryptocurrency payments.
Yoni Segal, 18, and Nahorai Mizrahi, 20, from Tiberias, were accused of receiving missions from Iranian agents, including burning notes with anti-government messages and documenting security arrangements at shopping centers and Ichilov Hospital.
Elimelech Stern
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Mark Morgan Pinsky, 33, from the Hamra community, was charged with carrying out tasks for Iranian agents in exchange for payment.
Or Beilin, 27, from Beit Aryeh, was accused, among other things, of spraying anti-government and pro-Iranian graffiti and burning IDF uniforms.
Elimelech Stern, 21, a yeshiva student from Beit Shemesh affiliated with the Vizhnitz Hasidic community, was accused of communicating with an online profile named “Anna Elena” and receiving assignments, including placing a ram’s head outside the home of Israel’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Soldiers and sensitive information
Several cases involved people with access to military information.
In one investigation, a soldier was accused of transferring footage of missile interceptions and documenting missile impacts in Israel.
Another suspect, an Israeli citizen who immigrated from Iran in 1999, was accused of exposing information about damage to an IDF base following an Iranian attack.
Yaakov Perl
(Photo: Ido Erez)
In September 2025, Yaakov Perl, 49, a U.S. citizen with an Israeli passport, was charged with photographing the residence of former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
In October 2025, two Holon residents, Maor Kringel and Tal Amram, were charged with espionage offenses for Iran during the war.
According to prosecutors, Kringel, who was serving as a reservist, was asked to assassinate his commanding officer in exchange for 100,000 shekels in cryptocurrency.
New cases continue emerging
Israeli authorities continue to uncover additional alleged espionage networks.
In March 2026, four suspects from the Haifa and Krayot areas were arrested: Ami Gaidarov, 22, Denis Kum, 24, Sergey Libman, 24, and Edward Shubtiuk, 24.
Gaidarov was accused of producing explosives with the alleged intention of harming former Prime Minister Bennett.
That month, two IDF Air Force technicians were also arrested on suspicion of security offenses for Iranian intelligence elements.
Footage from the arrests of Ami Gaidarov, Sergey Libman and Edward Shubtiuk
(Photo: Israel Police)
Earlier this year, a U.S. citizen living in Israel was arrested on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence, including photographing sensitive locations.
Most recently, an indictment was filed against Ashkelon couple Tamerlan Amashukov, 26, and Alina Kushnirenko, 24, over alleged espionage activity for Iran.
According to the indictment, their alleged operation ran from April 2026 until July 2026. Prosecutors said the couple systematically collected intelligence on locations across Israel, including residences of security officials and civilian and military infrastructure.
They allegedly photographed residential buildings in Ashdod, Beersheba and Haifa, as well as the Mount Herzl area in Jerusalem.
According to the indictment, the couple was arrested on the day Amashukov was expected to carry out another mission in Beersheba, which was not completed.