A man with dual Israeli-American citizenship has been arrested for allegedly spying on former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, The Times of Israel reported.
Police arrested 49-year-old Yaakov Perel this week after he allegedly spent the past year spying on behalf of Iran, driven by what police described as "his ideological belief that action must be taken against the state of Israel and Zionism."
Perel, who has lived in Morocco for the past few years, reportedly attracted Iran's attention after he published an article about the killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, following his funeral last January.
"Following the publication of this article, he received a contact from an Iranian official who offered him cooperation, and Perel agreed," Israeli security service Shin Bet said in a statement to the Press Service of Israel.
"Shortly after his arrival in Israel, he began carrying out a variety of security missions under the guidance of Iranian intelligence officials, while passing on information about Israeli public figures and citizens, including former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir," the statement said.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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