Israel has revealed a spy operation by Iran which involved a 13-year-old Israeli boy, whose assignment included photographing the Iron Dome defence system and the residence of foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to reports.
The teen, who has not been identified, has been arrested but won't be facing charges. A statement by Israel Police said the teen was contacted by Iranian officials via the Telegram app and was offered money in exchange.
However, his initial chores included spray-painted graffiti in the Tel Aviv area, which he did. The teen, a resident of Tel Aviv, vandalised several bus stops as asked by the foreign agent.
After the initial seemingly easy tasks, the agent then pushed him to carry out more serious activities, which included gathering on the country's nuclear and defence facilities. He was then asked to photograph the home of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, according to Israeli news websites. "In addition, the minor was asked to photograph the Iron Dome system, but ultimately did not carry out this task," the police added.
The boy did send the pictures of the minister's home, which he sourced from social media. The Iranians paid him hundreds of shekels in cryptocurrency for the task.
However, the boy grew suspicious as the agents continued to press him, and he subsequently blocked the person on the app. Police said the boy had no clue the person who contacted him was a foreign agent and had no intention of harming the country. "When concerns arose, he immediately severed the connection and even blocked the contact," the public defence attorney who represents the boy told reporters.
The 13-year-old was released to house arrest and his parents have been updated. The parents reportedly had no clue about the incident until the police showed up with an arrest warrant for their son.
Recently, Israeli authorities arrested a 16-year-old who was suspected of hiding money, photographing sensitive locations and printing inciting flyers. Israel arrested another of its citizens last month for spying for Iran, including on former prime minister Naftali Bennett during a hospital stay. The 18-year-old was contacted by Iranian intelligence agents via the Telegram app and was offered money in exchange for carrying out espionage missions inside Israel.