Israeli authorities have arrested an American-Israeli dual citizen on suspicion of spying for Iran, accusing him of sharing information on public figures and sending videos and pictures of locations across the country to his handlers.
Yaakov Perl, 49, was arrested earlier this month after an investigation by the Shin Bet security agency and the National Crime Unit of the Israeli police.
Perl had lived in Morocco in recent years, authorities said, and he first contacted the Iranian embassy there by phone in 2017.
Police and the Shin Bet said in a joint statement Perl requested asylum for himself and his family but received no response. In 2023, he began engaging with Iranian news outlets on social media and publishing content critical of Israel and Zionism.
In January, Perl wrote an article that authorities say supported Hezbollah following Israel’s killing of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
After the article’s publication, he was approached by Iranian operatives, with whom authorities say he agreed to cooperate. When Perl was unable to recruit people in Israel to work with him, authorities say he traveled to Israel himself in July and began gathering intelligence at the direction of his Iranian handlers.
“He provided the Iranians with information on Israeli public figures and citizens, including former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir,” police and the Shin Bet said. “As part of his activities, Perl also took photos and videos of various streets and locations throughout Israel. He was paid in cryptocurrency for his work.”
The statement said that Perl’s actions were “all based on ideological motives and opposition to Zionism.”
Asked about Perl’s arrest, a spokesperson for the US State Department said they have “no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens.”
“Whenever a US citizen is detained abroad, the department works to provide consular assistance in accordance with US law and our responsibilities under US and international law,” the spokesperson said, adding that there would be no further comment because of privacy concerns.
Since October 7th, Israeli police have been involved in investigating more than 25 cases related to espionage activity linked to Iran, resulting in approximately 46 arrests, according to a police spokesman.
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