Israeli citizen arrested for allegedly colluding with Iranian spies

July 17 (UPI) -- An Israeli citizen has been arrested on accusations of being an operative for Iranian spies, according to authorities who say they have disrupted a Tehran espionage operation.

Elimelech Stern, a 21-year-old Israeli citizen of Beit Shemesh, a city located about 18 miles west of Jerusalem, was indicted Tuesday by the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office with contacting a foreign agent.

Israel Police said in a statement that Iranian intelligence agents communicated with Stern via the Telegram social media smartphone application, requesting he set forest fires and leave threatening messages and packages containing the severed heads of animals or dolls alongside a knife on the door steps of Israeli citizens.

He was also asked to post advertisements in Tel Aviv and bury money at various locations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

According to screen captures of the conversations between suspected Iranian intelligence officers and Stern that were distributed by Israel Police, the agents offered money in exchange for carrying out tasks they referred to as "missions."

"Are you brave. For a lot of money?" they asked.

تجنيد إسرائيليين للقيام بمهام لصالح المخابرات الإيرانية- القبض على 3 منهم

بعد تحقيقات للشرطة وجهاز الأمن العام الشاباك، قدمت النيابة العامة في لواء أورشليم القدس لائحة اتهام ضد إيليملخ شترن (21 عامًا) من بيت شيمش، بشبهة تنفيذ أنشطة أمنية بتوجيه من جهات استخبارات إيرانية. pic.twitter.com/FuFgmWTeKx — شرطة اسرائيل- israel police (@Israelpolice_Ar) July 16, 2024

Stern is also accused of recruiting two other Israeli citizens to aid in the operations in exchange for payments in cryptocurrency. Authorities said Stern's two recruits have been questioned by police and released from their custody as they consider next steps in their cases.

The three Israelis were arrested during the past two weeks in a joint counter-intelligence operation of the Israel Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, and Lahav 433, an Israeli crime fighting organization within the Israel Police.

Israel Police said it has identified "numerous" profiles run by Iranian security agents and were monitoring to gather information about their identities and operations.

It's warning members of the public that a known tactic of Iranian agents is to try and contact Israeli citizens through the use of fraudulent social media profiles.

"In this complex period, where the digital space is used for intimidation, message transmission or promoting terrorist activities under the guise of innocent actions, we advise the public to be vigilant regarding contacts from unknown sources, avoid sharing personal information and refrain from opening links from unrecognized sources," a senior Israel Police official said in a statement.

The arrests come as Israel is fighting a war against Hamas, an Iranian proxy militia that ignited the conflict Oct. 7 when it launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.

Nearly 39,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed amid the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health .