Israeli soldiers leak “sensitive” Iron Dome information to Iran

Shafaq News/ Two Israeli reservists have been charged with leaking classified information about the Iron Dome missile defense system to Iran, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Monday.

According to the report, the Attorney General’s Office filed charges of espionage, communicating with a foreign agent, and aiding an enemy during wartime against two soldiers from the Kirya, Yuri Eliasivov and Georgi Andreev, who pleaded guilty on all counts.

The investigation revealed that Eliasivov sent a video containing “highly sensitive” information about the Iron Dome system to an Iranian contact in exchange for financial compensation alongside Andreev whom Eliasivov recruited.

Eliasivov, who was a former regular soldier in the Iron Dome unit, admitted during interrogations that he was struggling financially and began communicating with an Iranian individual via social media, who instructed him to “paint graffiti in Tel Aviv as part of a test to prove his willingness to cooperate.” Eliasivov received $2,500 for his actions, while Andreev was paid just $50, according to investigators.

Lieutenant Sharit Peretz, an officer with the Lahav 433 unit (a crime-fighting unit within the Israeli police), stated, “Eliasivov is charged with aiding the enemy during wartime, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or even the death penalty,” as the video sent by Eliasivov reportedly contains “highly sensitive information that could compromise Israeli national security.”

A joint investigation conducted by the Israeli Military Police, the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency), and the Lahav 433 unit, uncovered the espionage operation early, but the investigation remains active.