Israeli Teen Charged With Spying for Iran in Exchange for $1,170 Cryptocurrency
An Israeli boy, 14, has been indicted for spying for Iran. The teen allegedly received $1,170 in cryptocurrency for filming strategic sites like the Kirya and Ichilov Hospital, and was instructed to target the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.
The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment in the Tel Aviv Youth District Court today against a 14-year-old boy from central Israel accused of working for Iranian intelligence agents. The minor faces charges of contact with a foreign agent, delivering information to the enemy, and obstruction of justice.
According to the indictment filed by attorney Livnat Melamed, the boy initiated contact with an Iranian operative via a Telegram group in April 2025. The two allegedly agreed that the teenager would perform various tasks in exchange for cryptocurrency payments totaling approximately $1,170.
The tasks performed by the minor for the Iranian handlers included:
The indictment further reveals that the teen was instructed to target the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The handlers requested he spray the message "we avenge in his turn! children of Ruhollah" on the minister’s residence and document the minister’s movements. He reportedly told his handlers he could only perform this task during school holidays.
he also allegedly managed four separate digital wallets to receive his payments. Following his arrest, the prosecution claims he attempted to coordinate testimonies by asking a classmate to lie to investigators and claim the cryptocurrency funds were a personal gift between friends.