Israeli minors accused of carrying out paid missions for Iranian agent

Israeli police announced on Sunday that two teenagers from the Haifa and Krayot area are suspected of completing assignments for an Iranian intelligence operative, including photographing sensitive locations and attempting to recruit other minors. The investigation began after one of the suspects was detained at Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of contacting a foreign agent and committing espionage offenses. According to investigators, the operative initially gave the teenager harmless tasks, such as distributing flyers, before escalating to more serious assignments. These included spray-painting anti-government graffiti, documenting strategic locations in central Israel, and recruiting additional teenagers. The suspects allegedly received several thousand shekels for their work. In one cited voice message, a suspect sought to recruit peers who were unconcerned about the risk of being caught. The operative also directed a teenager to film the Seven Stars Mall in Herzliya, for which he received approximately $160. Lawyers representing one of the 15-year-old defendants denied that their client intended to harm national security, stating that the facts will be clarified in court.