The State Attorney’s Office indicted an Israeli resident of Beersheva on Thursday on charges of maintaining contact with Iranian agents in exchange for money.
Police said the suspect, 22-year-old Rafael Reuveni, carried out several missions at the request of his Iranian handlers, like taking photographs of his hometown, planting a cellphone and a cigarette box, and collecting a SIM card from a hiding spot, Ynet reported.
He was further instructed to verify the location of a handgun that had been placed in a hiding spot, and later move it to another location, the police statement read. The suspect arrived at the hiding spot, located an object that appeared to be a handgun, and moved it from one point to another, the police added.
The suspect was reportedly approached via the Telegram app by an Iranian agent several weeks ago.
Reuveni was arrested last month in a joint operation by officers from the central unit of the Southern District Police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the police added.
He allegedly received money via digital means, with Ynet noting $2,700 in cryptocurrency.
The Hebrew-language outlet reported that Reuveni is a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. The indictment accuses him of providing the Iranians with information about the base where he serves, including unverified answers regarding personnel data and the base’s emergency procedures, and a photo of his military ID, according to Ynet.
Reuveni is charged with contact with a foreign agent and transferring information to the enemy.
Prosecutors requested that the Beersheba District Court order his remand until the end of the legal proceedings.
On Sunday, Israeli authorities announced that two residents of Kiryat Yam, near Haifa, who allegedly passed photos and locations of sensitive military sites to Iranian intelligence, were also arrested in October.
Shimon Azarzar, 27, and his partner, who was not named, were arrested on suspicion of security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence operatives and carrying out “missions” for payment, according to a joint statement by the Israel Police and Shin Bet.
Azarzar allegedly sent photos and coordinates of sensitive IDF sites and offered to obtain critical information from military facilities by exploiting his relationship with his partner, who was serving as a reservist at an Israeli Air Force base.
