The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday convicted Elimelech Stern, a 22-year-old Haredi yeshiva student from Beit Shemesh, of spying on behalf of Iran.
He was found guilty of contact with a foreign agent and conspiring to make threats after he carried out several missions for an Iranian intelligence agent in exchange for money last year.
Stern is one of dozens of Israeli citizens who have been arrested and charged with spying for the Islamic Republic. He is one of the first to be convicted since most espionage cases are still working their way through the legal system.
During a series of Shin Bet interrogations following his arrest, Stern confessed to being in contact with his operator, who went by the alias Anna Elena, over Telegram. Later in court, he insisted that he had been unaware he was communicating with a foreign actor.
According to the conviction handed down by Judge Hannah Miriam Lump, Stern recruited two other Israeli citizens to help him carry out the tasks assigned to him by his handler.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
At the request of the agent, Stern enlisted one of his accomplices in printing and hanging fliers of bloodied palm prints with the English phrase: “It will be written in history that children were killed, let’s stand on the right side of history.” The assistant took pictures of himself hanging the fliers in Tel Aviv in early June 2024 and sent the photo evidence to Stern, who then forwarded it to the agent.
An image released by the Shin Bet amid an investigation into three Israelis accused of acting under the supervision of Iran, released July 16, 2024 (Shin Bet)
Stern also planned in June 2024 to leave a threatening package on the doorstep of Ronen Shaul, Israel’s representative in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but never followed through.
The Iranian agent requested that he send a severed animal’s head alongside a flower bouquet to Shaul. When he was unable to find an animal’s head, the agent changed course and asked him to send a severed doll’s head alongside a knife. Fearing legal repercussions, Stern eventually declined to send the package entirely.
That month, after a period of debate, he also refused to ignite a brushfire in Jerusalem at the agent’s behest.
Stern’s case is one of dozens to come to light over the past two years in which Iranian agents have successfully recruited Israelis into espionage schemes via social media, specifically the Telegram messaging app. Most of the accused spies start out with innocuous tasks that gradually grow into more serious offenses, like intelligence gathering and assassination plots.
The growing number of Iranian agents has even prompted Israel to open up a new wing for them in Haifa’s Damon prison.
The unlikely operatives, from diverse walks of life, are usually ordinary civilians contacted by Iranian intelligence officers online. The effort appears to be part of a mass recruitment scheme by Tehran to gather intelligence on Israel’s alleged nuclear and military sites, as well as key Israeli figures such as defense officials and top scientists.
Given Stern’s relatively young age when committing the offenses, he will be reviewed for probation before sentencing at the request of his attorney.
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel – and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You appreciate our journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this