Iran Recruited 13-Year-Old Israeli via Telegram, Authorities Say
Israeli police and the Shin Bet internal security agency say a 13-year-old boy from Tel Aviv was arrested recently for allegedly accepting money to carry out low-level espionage assignments for Iranian intelligence. The minor was reportedly recruited via the Telegram messaging app and asked to complete several missions, including photographing Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and spraying graffiti in the Tel Aviv area.
According to a joint statement by the police and Shin Bet, the boy agreed to the graffiti task but stopped short of photographing sensitive military sites. He was also allegedly asked to gather images of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s home, though instead of taking new pictures, he is believed to have sent images sourced from social media. He was compensated in cryptocurrency for at least some of the assignments.
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The child was placed under house arrest, and officials confirmed that his parents had no knowledge of the activity until the arrest. “This is a young child who had no intention of harming the country,” said Hagit Rachmani-Weiss, the boy’s public defense attorney. “When concerns arose, he immediately severed the connection and even blocked the contact.”
This case is one of several in recent months involving Israeli citizens—many of them minors—allegedly targeted by Iranian operatives through social media platforms. Authorities say the pattern often begins with minor tasks and escalates to serious intelligence work. In April, two Israelis were arrested in a separate case and accused of collecting information on Iran’s behalf. One man was sentenced to 10 years for plotting the assassination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Police have urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity and warned of growing Iranian efforts to exploit Israeli citizens for espionage.
