Israeli authorities arrested Yaakov Perl, a 49-year-old American-Israeli dual citizen, for allegedly spying for Iran. They accuse him of sharing sensitive information about public figures and sending videos and photos of locations across Israel to Iranian handlers.
Perl lived in Morocco in recent years and first contacted the Iranian embassy there by phone in 2017. He reportedly requested asylum for himself and his family but received no response. In 2023, he began posting on social media and writing articles critical of Israel and Zionism. One article in January appeared to support Hezbollah after Israel killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Following this, Iranian operatives approached Perl, and authorities say he agreed to cooperate. When he could not recruit others in Israel, he traveled there in July to gather intelligence himself.
Police and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said Perl collected information on key figures, including former IDF Chief Herzi Halevi and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. He also photographed streets and locations throughout Israel and received cryptocurrency payments for his work.
Authorities stated his actions were motivated by ideology and opposition to Zionism. The US State Department confirmed it provides consular support to Americans detained abroad.
Since October 7, Israeli police investigated over 25 Iran-linked espionage cases, leading to roughly 46 arrests.
