Jerusalem Resident Indicted for Espionage After Collecting Intelligence for Iranian Handler During June 2025 War

21-year-old Moshe Lachovitz indicted for gathering intelligence for Iran, including surveillance of former PM Naftali Bennett's home for crypto payments.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 3:32 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Times of Israel

Jerusalem District Court Receives Security Indictment

The State Attorney’s Office formally filed an indictment on Friday morning against Moshe Lachovitz, a 21-year-old resident of Jerusalem, following his arrest last month on suspicion of collaboration with a foreign power. According to the court documents, Lachovitz is accused of carrying out specific operational tasks at the behest of an Iranian intelligence handler. The prosecution alleges that the defendant willfully engaged in activities that compromised national security, providing his handler with visual intelligence on strategic locations across the country while receiving substantial financial compensation through digital assets.

Recruitment Through Search for Employment

The relationship between the defendant and the Iranian agent, who used the pseudonym "Michael," reportedly began when Lachovitz was actively seeking employment opportunities online. Investigators state that the handler initially established contact under the guise of a legitimate employer, a common tactic used by Iranian intelligence to identify and recruit vulnerable individuals within Israel. The indictment claims that while Lachovitz may not have initially understood the true identity of his employer, he continued to fulfill increasingly sensitive requests even after he became aware that he was working for an operative of the Islamic Republic.

Targeting the Private Residence of Former Leadership

Among the most serious allegations in the indictment is that Lachovitz was directed to conduct surveillance on the private residence of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Ra’anana. The tasks included documenting security protocols and photographing the exterior of the home, as well as several other "vital sites" in the Jerusalem and central districts. These activities suggest that Iranian intelligence was actively seeking to update its tactical data on high-profile Israeli political figures and infrastructure, likely for the purpose of planning future kinetic strikes or targeted operations.