Israeli prosecutors indicted a 27-year-old resident of the central Israeli city of Be’er Ya’akov on Thursday for alleged espionage on behalf of Iran.
Or Beilin, who was arrested last month, stands accused of performing “missions” to harm Israeli national security at the behest of an Iranian handler who went by the name of “Yoni,” according to local reports.
The suspect is said to have received some $9,000 in cryptocurrency from Tehran for spraying political graffiti; buying and burning Israel Defense Forces uniforms; seeking to purchase a drone; and leaving sums of cash in various public places throughout the Jewish state.
Beilin has been charged with maintaining contact with a foreign agent, and prosecutors have asked the court that he be remanded in custody pending the legal proceedings against him.
Last month, Israel’s Channel 12 News broadcaster reported that Beilin’s attorney had asked that his client be released on bail, claiming that he had severed all contact with “Yoni” once he realized he was Iranian.
Since the outbreak of the war triggered by the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli security forces have uncovered at least two dozen cases in which Iran allegedly attempted to recruit Israeli nationals.
On June 30, a married couple from the central Israeli city of Ra’anana was arrested on suspicion of spying for elements linked to Tehran.
Both in their 30s, the two were taken into custody following a covert investigation launched about a week earlier, before the recent ceasefire between Jerusalem and Tehran, according to a July 1 police statement.
The previous day, Israel Police announced the recent arrest of three Israeli Jews accused of endangering national security by allegedly carrying out tasks on behalf of Iranian operatives.
In two separate operations on June 14 and June 15, Israel Police officers, with assistance from Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) officials, arrested Mark Morgain, 33, a resident of the Jordan Valley; along with Yoni Segal, 18; and Nehorai Omri Mizrahi, 20, both from Tiberias in the north.
