Three Israelis arrested on suspicion of providing intel to Iran
JERUSALEM – Israel’s security services arrested three citizens Tuesday, suspected of committing security offenses – which Iran’s intelligence apparatus is thought to have directed.
The three were arrested separately over the last two weeks, and the investigation revealed that following interrogation, one suspect – 21-year-old Elimelech Stern, a member of the Vishnitz Hasidic community in Ramat Beit Shemesh, approximately 20 miles or so west-south-west of Jerusalem – received his instructions over Telegram.
He was in contact with a profile under the name of “Anna Elena,” where he was directed to hang posters, hide money in various locations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, deliver packages including some containing decapitated stuffed animals and dolls, as well as threatening messages to be delivered along with a knife, and placed at certain Israeli civilians’ doorsteps.
He was also tasked with setting fire to a forest and more. It was also revealed Stern refused to either commit murder or arson.
Stern recruited two other Israelis – who have yet to be publicly identified – for his “missions,” for which they received payment from “Anna Elena” in cryptocurrency – and sometimes for the sum of just a few hundred shekels.
BREAKING: The Shin Bet reveals that 3 Israeli citizens have been arrested on suspicion of carrying out security activities directed by Islamic republic intelligence agents.
The investigation revealed that one of the suspects, Elimelech Stern, a 21-year-old Israeli citizen, a… pic.twitter.com/KWzOEZT7do
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) July 16, 2024
His Iranian handlers told him via Telegram that “Anna” was living in London and she “was looking for brave people to carry out missions in Israel for pay ranging from 100 to 100,000 dollars.”
Another message read, “I will test you with a simple mission of $100. If you do well and send me a video and photo of that work, and I can trust you, I will give you more missions with more reward.”
During one exchange between the Iranian operatives and Stern, they wrote: “We need a brave man. Are you brave for a lot of money? I currently have 2 missions. One of them has a bonus of $7,000, and one of them has $350.”
Stern expressed interest in the higher-paying mission, replying: “Tell me about the $7,000 one.”
The Iranian operative responded, “Alright. First, you need to purchase two 20-liter containers at a gas station.” It seems this may have been intended to be used to set the forest fire.
On Tuesday, Jerusalem’s District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against Stern, charging him with contacting a foreign agent. Following their interrogation, the security services released his two accomplices, and they now await the prosecutor’s decision about whether or not to indict them.
“Approaching Israeli citizens through social networks, under the false representation of the identity of the person making the request, is a well-known method of operation of the Iranian intelligence agencies,” the Shin Bet and Israel Police said in the statement. They added since Oct. 7 there has been a significant uptick in Iranian intelligence agencies using Telegram as well as other social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and X.
Additionally, mass text messages were detected with a similar cover, including a link leading to a Telegram channel with a referral to the website of the International Security Agency of Iran. Many Israeli citizens who received these suspicious approaches refrained from responding to them and even alerted relevant authorities, the Jerusalem Post reported.
A lawyer representing Stern expressed the family’s sense of shock at the charges against their son.
“They are lovers of the state and do not belong to any extreme sects,” said Attorney Oshri Ben Yishai.
Iran’s Shi’ite proxy in Lebanon – Hezbollah – has in the past attempted to coax Israelis – more frequently Arabs in the Galilee region – to provide them with intelligence regarding civilian infrastructure and/or military installations, including Iron Dome batteries.
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