Two Israeli teenagers from Kiryat Motzkin, aged 14 and 16, have been indicted for allegedly carrying out paid missions for an Iranian-linked operative, including photographing sites in Israel, spraying graffiti and attempting to recruit other minors.
The Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office filed the indictment in juvenile court. The two are jointly charged with vandalism. One is also charged with contact with a foreign agent and three counts of providing information for the benefit of the enemy, while the second is charged with assisting contact with a foreign agent.
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According to police, the investigation began after one of the defendants was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport upon returning to Israel. Investigators found that while searching for work on Telegram, he had been in contact with a foreign agent linked to Iran.
The indictment alleges that in June 2026 the teenager contacted a man who identified himself as “Daniel” and offered to pay him for carrying out assignments. He later brought his friend into the operation. Prosecutors say the two eventually suspected the man was working on behalf of Iran, asked him directly and were told that he was connected to the country. Despite that, they allegedly continued carrying out tasks.
One of the teenagers is accused of photographing several locations in Israel, including shopping malls in the Herzliya and Tel Aviv areas. During one assignment, he allegedly provided information about the number of entrances and exits at a mall and the number of security guards there.
According to the indictment, he later deleted videos from one of the assignments because he feared the handler might use them to facilitate a terrorist attack, but only after the material had already been sent.
The two are also accused of spraying graffiti in the Kiryat Motzkin area and documenting the acts for the handler. Prosecutors say they later worked together to expand the activity, with one teenager using his friend’s Telegram account to pose as a soldier in the IDF’s Unit 8200 intelligence unit in an effort to obtain additional assignments.
One of the defendants also allegedly began setting up a new Telegram channel after the foreign agent asked them to recruit additional people. Prosecutors say the teenagers received hundreds of shekels for their activity, including payments made in cryptocurrency.
Police said Israeli security agencies would continue acting against attempts by enemy states and hostile actors to recruit Israelis, particularly minors, for activities that could harm national security.
“Israel Police and the security agencies will act with determination and using all available means, overt and covert, against any attempt by enemy states and hostile actors to recruit Israeli citizens, particularly minors, and exploit them to harm state security,” police said.
Authorities also urged parents to closely monitor their children’s activity on social media and report unusual or suspicious approaches immediately.
A court order prohibits publication of any information that could identify the two minors.