Iron Dome Reservist Spied for Iran, Israeli Charges Say

A reservist who helped operate Israel's Iron Dome defenses is accused of selling military secrets to Iran—for roughly $1,000 in cryptocurrency, the Times of Israel reports. Israel's police and Shin Bet security service said 26-year-old Raz Cohen of Jerusalem was arrested and indicted after spending about a month in contact with an Iranian intelligence handler via Telegram. According to the indictment, filed in Jerusalem District Court, Cohen knew he was dealing with an Iranian agent and passed on sensitive details about how the Iron Dome works, the locations of air force bases, and the deployment of Iron Dome batteries.

Prosecutors said Cohen, a former conscript who later served as a reservist technician and launcher operator in the aerial defense array, sent 27 photos and videos showing firing procedures, rates of fire, backup launchers, and arming processes. He's accused of mapping seven air force bases where he had served, pinpointing two Iron Dome batteries at Hatzerim and Palmachim, and sharing personal and contact details of other Israelis, including a security guard at the President's Residence and a relative who is an air force pilot. The charges include assisting an enemy in wartime and transmitting information intended to harm state security, offenses that can carry a life sentence. There was no word from the defendant or his counsel about the accusations.