American indicted in Israel for Iran-linked crypto espionage

Eli Lavon, 21, was indicted in Israel for allegedly spying for Iran after being recruited via Telegram and paid $1,400 in crypto. His lawyer disputes the espionage charges.

Eli Lavon, a 21-year-old American, has been indicted in Israel on espionage charges after allegedly being recruited by Iranian intelligence through Telegram. Prosecutors claim that Lavon, a student at a Jerusalem seminary, responded to a Telegram job posting while in the United States in November 2025. Upon returning to Israel, Lavon was reportedly contacted by Iranian agents who assigned him surveillance tasks, such as filming sensitive sites and leaving hidden items containing coded messages. Authorities allege that he received around $1,400 in cryptocurrency as payment for these activities. Lavon faces two counts of contact with a foreign agent and 14 counts of communicating information useful to an enemy. His attorney contends that Lavon's actions do not amount to espionage. This is said to be the first case involving a U.S. citizen among recent Iran-linked espionage prosecutions in Israel.