Prosecutors on Friday filed an indictment against a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen accused of spying for Iran, naming him as 49-year-old Yaakov Perl.
Perl, who was arrested last month, allegedly conducted surveillance of senior Israeli officials on behalf of an Iranian handler, including photographing the home of former military chief Herzi Halevi and gathering information about security arrangements outside the residence of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, prosecutors said.
Yaakov Perl, dual US-Israeli citizen accused of spying for Iran, in court
(Video: Ido Erez)
The Tel Aviv District Court ordered Perl held in custody until further notice. A new hearing is set for Oct. 20 to give his defense team time to review the investigation files.
Perl’s lawyer, Yigal Dotan, argued in court that his client was being denied religious necessities while held as a security detainee. He said Perl had no access to a prayer book, tallit, Psalms or other Jewish religious texts ahead of the High Holidays, and complained that he was surviving on bread alone because he had not been given food that met his standards of kosher observance. The judge ordered prison authorities to provide him with religious items and allow phone calls to his lawyer.
According to the indictment, Perl joined the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic sect in 2014, while living in Morocco. In 2017, he approached Iran’s embassy there seeking asylum for himself and his family but was denied. By 2023, after repeatedly posting anti-Zionist statements in online forums, he was allegedly contacted by an Iranian operative.
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Yaakov Perl, dual US-Israeli citizen accused of spying for Iran, in court
(Photo: Ido Erez)
The indictment says that after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed, Perl published a pro-Hezbollah essay on Telegram that further attracted Iranian interest. An agent then recruited him for missions, promising him $7,000–$10,000 a month plus expenses.
Prosecutors said Perl received instructions via encrypted apps and was asked to buy phones and set up a digital wallet. He attempted to recruit others in Israel to cooperate with Tehran but ultimately renewed his Israeli passport and entered the country himself to carry out tasks.
In August, Perl allegedly cycled to Halevi’s community in the West Bank after being provided a map of the neighborhood by his handler. He photographed Halevi’s house and nearby homes that could serve as lookouts, though the mission was eventually abandoned. Around the same time, he was instructed to surveil Ben-Gvir’s home. Perl allegedly told his handler he would conceal a camera on his chest but was stopped by soldiers near the minister’s community. He claimed to be en route to a religious site and was released, then reported the encounter and troop movements back to the Iranian agent.
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National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and former military chief Herzi Halevi
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, IDF)
Perl also filmed streets in Haifa, Beit Shemesh and at a train station in Karmiel with a GoPro camera strapped to his bicycle. Prosecutors say he tried to collect information on two Israeli lawyers at Tehran’s request, arranging meetings under false pretenses.
Overall, Perl allegedly received at least $15,000 in digital payments. The indictment charges him with aiding an enemy during wartime, passing information with intent to harm national security and providing intelligence that could benefit an enemy.
Prosecutor Yonatan Tal, who filed the case, said Perl repeatedly sought to persuade Iran to recruit him and even offered advice on how to better execute the assignments he was given. Investigators said Perl told one interrogator he would continue trying to recruit others against Israel even from behind bars.