Israeli Gets 13.5 Years for Iran Espionage — Record Sentence

The Lod District Court on Wednesday sentenced Alexander Granovsky of Petah Tikva to 13.5 years in prison for committing security offenses against the State of Israel. Granovsky maintained ongoing contact with an Iranian agent via Telegram and carried out a series of security-related missions on his behalf, even as Israel was fighting one of the most difficult wars in its history.

The sentence is the harshest handed down to date in a wave of indictments filed by prosecutors against Israelis who made contact with Iranian operatives through social media and worked on their behalf.

Granovsky pleaded guilty and was convicted on all charges brought against him by the Central District Prosecutor's Office, including contact with a foreign agent, passing information to an enemy, and multiple counts of property damage and arson.

Following instructions from his Iranian handler, Granovsky filmed power stations and the residential neighborhood of MK Benny Gantz, transmitting the videos to the agent. He also set fire to nine vehicles, spray-painted graffiti, was instructed to destroy IDF uniforms, and served as an intermediary for the agent, recruiting people with criminal records to carry out violent operations.

While executing his missions, Granovsky followed "safety guidelines" designed to conceal his identity and prevent exposure of his activities. He was fully aware that the agent represented a hostile entity toward Israel and understood his objectives, yet continued to cooperate and even proactively suggested additional missions. On multiple occasions, he pressed the agent to assign him more significant tasks.

In exchange for the missions he completed, Granovsky received thousands of dollars from the agent through a digital wallet. The indictment was filed by attorney Hila Cohen Kadosh of the Central District Prosecutor's Office. Following his conviction, the parties agreed to a sentence of 13.5 years in actual prison time plus a suspended sentence.

The Central District Prosecutor's Office stated: "The State Prosecutor's Office views with utmost severity any form of cooperation with agents operating on behalf of hostile entities whose aim is to harm the State of Israel, its citizens, and its security forces. The prosecution insisted throughout the proceedings on the defendant's full conviction on all charges attributed to him, and the precedent-setting sentence that was agreed upon reflects the gravity of the acts. The State Prosecutor's Office will continue to act with determination and without compromise against anyone seeking to endanger Israel's security, and will pursue the full extent of the law against them."

In its sentencing decision, the district court noted: "The heavy sentence sought by the parties, 13.5 years in prison, reflects, among other things, considerations of general deterrence, so that anyone tempted to act on behalf of a hostile entity for monetary gain will know that he faces a very long and unbearably heavy prison sentence."

The Granovsky case joins a series of espionage incidents uncovered in recent months in which Israeli citizens were recruited by Iranian agents through social media. Among the prominent cases were minors from the Haifa area who photographed strategic sites and spray-painted pro-Iranian graffiti, and an Israeli-Russian journalist arrested at Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of serious security offenses.