The Jerusalem District Court on Thursday sentenced Elimelech Stern, 21, of Beit Shemesh, to three years in prison after convicting him of contact with a foreign agent and conspiracy to issue threats for carrying out tasks on behalf of Iranian operatives during the war.
According to the indictment filed in July 2024, Stern, a yeshiva student affiliated with the Vizhnitz Hasidic community, communicated via Telegram with a profile using the name “Anna Elena,” which prosecutors said was operated by Iranian intelligence. He was instructed to carry out a series of actions inside the country in exchange for payment in cryptocurrency.
Among the tasks, Stern was asked to place a sheep’s head at the home of the ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, hang posters in Tel Aviv, hide cash at locations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, deliver threatening packages containing an animal head or a severed doll alongside a knife, and set a forest on fire.
Investigators said Stern agreed to carry out the assignments except for murder and arson. For several of the tasks — including hanging posters, hiding money and delivering packages — he recruited two additional citizens, who carried out some of the activities in return for payment.
Court documents detailed how Stern attempted to obtain a sheep’s head for one of the assignments. When he told “Anna Elena” he could not find one, he was instructed to buy a whole sheep. He was later directed instead to purchase a large doll, a knife, gift wrapping and flowers and to place them together as a threatening package.
Stern sent photos of flower arrangements to the handler for approval, prosecutors said. When he asked whether to include the knife in the package or only the doll’s head, the handler instructed him to include the knife. Stern expressed concern that he could be imprisoned for doing so.
The indictment also said Stern was asked to break car windows or set vehicles on fire during demonstrations and send video proof. He was offered $500 for each window broken and $3,000 for each vehicle set ablaze. Stern asked whether he should attend demonstrations associated with the political right or left, and was told it did not matter. He was also encouraged to break shop windows during protests in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
Prosecutors sought a sentence of seven years, arguing the offenses were especially severe because they were committed during wartime and involved cooperation with an enemy state. They said the actions reflected ongoing activity rather than a single incident and required a deterrent sentence.
The case carries broader significance. State prosecutors have recently adopted a policy under which plea bargains will no longer be offered in cases involving espionage on behalf of Iran. Stern is the first defendant since the outbreak of the war to be sentenced without a plea agreement in such a case.
Officials said the ruling is expected to serve as a benchmark for sentencing in similar espionage cases. At present, an additional 35 cases involving 57 defendants accused of acting on behalf of Iran are pending in the courts.