Then-outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, March 5, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
A dual Israeli-American citizen was arrested this month on suspicion of spying on ex-IDF chief Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, police and Shin Bet announce.
The suspect, 49-year-old Yaakov Perel, apparently harbored a deep antipathy towards Zionism and had been living in Morocco for the past several years.
In 2017, he sought asylum in Iran for himself and his family but received no response from Tehran, police say.
Perel for the past two years had been writing articles against Zionism, and managed to attract the attention of an Iranian intelligence agent after publishing a piece in the wake of slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral.
At the Iranian agent’s behest, Perel renewed his Israeli passport and relocated to the country in July this year, where he allegedly began collecting intelligence on public figures, including Halevi and Ben Gvir.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir seen after a visit at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on August 3, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
He also took photos and videos of streets and other locations in Israel, police add.
Like most other Israeli agents recruited by Iranian operators, Perel was compensated in cryptocurrency for the missions he carried out on Tehran’s behalf.
Police claim Perel was driven by “his ideological belief that action must be taken against the State of Israel and Zionism.”
An indictment is expected to be filed against Perel in the Tel Aviv District Court in the coming days.
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