Israeli soldier gets five years for working with Iranian handler

An Israeli military court has sentenced a soldier performing mandatory service to five years in prison after convicting him of carrying out espionage-related tasks on behalf of an Iranian handler, following a joint investigation by the Military Police, Israel Police, and the Shin Bet security agency.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the soldier was convicted of contact with a foreign agent and delivering information "liable to benefit the enemy."

The military said that in 2025, the soldier received messages on Telegram from several individuals, some of whom were identified as being linked to Iran, offering him paid assignments. One Iranian handler proposed financial compensation in exchange for "various photography tasks."

The investigation found that during the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran, the soldier sent the handler two videos he had filmed from civilian locations—not military bases—showing missile interceptions. He was paid for one of the recordings.

The soldier also forwarded several videos sourced online from civilian locations, including footage showing the aftermath of a missile strike.

"Ultimately, after feeling pressured, the defendant informed a member of his unit that he had been in contact with a foreign agent, and the following day he was arrested by the Shin Bet," the military said.

Military prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison sentence along with additional penalties, "emphasizing the severity and risk inherent in the defendant's actions and the need to deter both the defendant and others."

In its ruling, however, the military court took into account that the soldier had not disclosed classified military information or any material obtained through his service in the IDF. The court also considered that he voluntarily severed contact with the Iranian handler and reported the incident to his commanders.

The court sentenced the soldier to five years in prison, imposed a suspended sentence and a fine of 1,000 shekels (about $330), and demoted him to the rank of private, the lowest rank in the IDF.

The soldier's identity and the military unit in which he served remain subject to a publication ban.

By Vafa Guliyeva