Israeli charged with accepting $41,000 bribe from Iran

Several days after the scandal was revealed, the Beer Sheba district court on Monday filed an indictment against Netivot resident Edwar Yusupov for allegedly spying for Iran.

The 65-year-old resident of southern Israel is accused of carrying out a series of espionage acts for a foreign agent operating on behalf of Iran. Before the hearing, he was asked why he did it, but he refused to answer, and tried to hide his face with his hands.

The Southern District Prosecutor's Office attributed several offenses to him, including deliberately conveying information to an enemy to harm the security of the state, conveying information to an enemy for personal benefit, contact with a foreign agent, and intention to  betray the country.

According to the indictment, Yusupov renewed contact in November 2024, more than a year after the outbreak of war, with a longtime acquaintance named Tair, whom he knew before he moved to Israel from Azerbaijan. During their conversation, Tair introduced him to another person who ended up being an agent for Iran, later identifying himself as "Musa." Musa claimed he wanted to start a business in Israel, but evantually requested the defendant carry out a series of intelligence gathering tasks.

It further emerges from the allegations that Yusupov responded to Musa's requests, collected and recorded sensitive information and details about national infrastructures and various sites across the country, including facilities in Be'er Sheva, IDF bases, military sites in the Negev, Haifa Port, parks, libraries, zoos, commercial and leisure areas, and more. The indictment also states that some of the footage was taken using a dedicated phone and technological aids to photography, and were also documented while traveling near central military bases.

The indictment further states that Yosefov rented an apartment in Haifa for Musa, which overlooked the port. There, he documented, according to his instructions, approaching ships, industrial ducts within the port area, and more. During his period of activity, the defendant maintained secrecy and caution, receiving a total of approximately $41,000 for carrying out the tasks and living expenses, paid via a digital wallet.

The arrest warrant stated that "The defendant committed security offenses while the State of Israel is waging some of the harshest wars it has known, on many fronts, including Iran. He is suspected of maintaining contact with a harmful foreign agent who violated the State of Israel, and nevertheless continued to collaborate with him. The defendant's actions were halted thanks to the activities of the security forces, which led to his arrest."