American Student Indicted on Espionage Charges in Israel
An American citizen studying at an ultra-Orthodox seminary in Jerusalem has been indicted on espionage charges, marking what authorities describe as the first prosecution of a U.S. national amid an intensifying crackdown on Israelis allegedly recruited to spy for Iran.
Eli Lavon, 21, was formally charged Friday with two counts of contact with a foreign agent and 14 counts of communicating information that could benefit an enemy, according to an indictment filed by the State Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege the case began in November 2025, when Lavon, during a visit to relatives in the United States, responded to a job posting on the Telegram messaging app. A month later, as he was returning to Israel, an individual claiming to represent Iranian intelligence made contact and began assigning him surveillance tasks, the indictment states.
These alleged tasks included filming an abandoned building in a religious Jerusalem neighborhood and recording footage inside a grocery store. In one instance, prosecutors claim, Lavon was instructed to conceal a cigarette pack containing a note reading “The job is complete” in a trash can at a Jerusalem shopping mall.
He was reportedly paid in cryptocurrency for the material he provided, communicating through two Telegram accounts and three mobile phones, according to the charges.
After severing contact with the first handler, prosecutors say Lavon began communicating with a second Iran-linked operative. This involved hiding a flash drive wrapped in currency at a restaurant and sending a photograph of his passport. The second handler allegedly pressed Lavon for the names of his fellow seminary students, which he declined to provide, the indictment details. Prosecutors estimate his combined payments from both handlers totaled approximately $1,379.
“This indictment illustrates how foreign intelligence agencies attempt to exploit the digital sphere to identify, recruit, and operate individuals from within Israel,” said Ronit Shentzer Yaakobi of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office. “It also highlights the critical importance of remaining vigilant and immediately severing contact when approached in this manner.”
Lavon’s attorney, Raz Bar Tzvi, told CNN that being contacted online by a foreign actor does not automatically make someone a spy. He argued that the facts presented in the indictment do not support the charges and declined to state how his client would plead.
Since 2023, Israel has indicted approximately 60 individuals on Iran-related espionage charges. Officials claim that several sites allegedly surveilled by such recruits were subsequently targeted in Iranian missile attacks.
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