A 19-year-old from central Israel has been charged with contact with a foreign agent and passing information to the enemy after allegedly working on behalf of Iranian interests. Prosecutors say he had purchased a plane ticket to Dubai to meet his handler and had negotiated payment for his activities. A court has imposed a gag order preventing publication of identifying details.

According to the indictment, the suspect provided his handler with personal information about his brother, a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, while falsely claiming that his sibling served in military intelligence with access to sensitive material. He allegedly recruited a 21-year-old accomplice to forge a document outlining a fabricated joint United States and Israeli plan to attack Iran, which he then sent to the handler.

Prosecutors say the suspect received tens of thousands of shekels, some through cryptocurrency and some via funds transferred from a company account allegedly compromised by Iran-linked hackers. They argue the defendants pose a serious danger, warning that transferring false information about Israel's readiness for war could have triggered a surprise attack by Iran.