Prosecutors said the 21-year-old American, a seminary student in Jerusalem, was recruited via Telegram and received about $1,379 in crypto for alleged espionage tasks tied to Iranian intelligence.
Israeli prosecutors have indicted Eli Lavon, a 21-year-old US citizen who was studying at a seminary in Jerusalem, for allegedly carrying out espionage tasks for Iranian intelligence in exchange for roughly $1,379 in crypto. Prosecutors said Lavon responded to a Telegram job advertisement in November 2025 while visiting family in the United States, then carried out assignments in Jerusalem after returning to Israel. The indictment alleges he filmed locations including an abandoned building and a grocery store and carried out dead drops, including a USB drive wrapped in a 50 shekel note. Lavon was arrested on June 9 and faces two counts of contact with a foreign agent and 14 counts of communicating information to the enemy.