Two Israeli boys, ages 14 and 16, have been indicted for allegedly carrying out paid assignments for an Iranian intelligence operative, exposing how the regime’s online recruitment machine is increasingly targeting children through social media.

The Kiryat Motzkin teenagers allegedly photographed potential targets, collected security information, sprayed anti-government graffiti and attempted to recruit additional minors. The Haifa District Attorney’s Office filed the charges in juvenile court, while a gag order bars publication of identifying information.

According to prosecutors, the operation began when the older teenager searched for work through a Telegram group. A man using the alias Daniel contacted him and offered payment for completing assignments. The first requests appeared harmless, including distributing flyers and submitting photographs to confirm his identity. The teen later brought his younger friend into the operation.

The assignments then escalated. One teenager allegedly photographed shopping centers in Herzliya and Tel Aviv, documenting entrances, exits and the number of security guards stationed at one mall. Prosecutors say he later deleted videos he had already sent because he feared they could be used to facilitate a terrorist attack. Despite that concern, the contact allegedly continued.

The teenagers eventually asked Daniel whether he was Iranian. He reportedly acknowledged being connected to Iran, but prosecutors say they continued working for him. The pair allegedly sprayed and photographed anti-government graffiti in Kiryat Motzkin, while one used his friend’s Telegram account to pose as a soldier in the IDF’s elite Unit 8200 intelligence branch in an effort to secure additional missions.

The Iranian handler also allegedly instructed them to recruit others. One teenager began establishing a Telegram channel and asked his friend to add minors prepared to undertake “high-risk” assignments. The boys received relatively small payments, including cryptocurrency, illustrating how Tehran can cultivate potential operatives with little money and no face-to-face contact. One suspect was ultimately arrested after landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport, triggering a covert investigation involving the Asher District Central Unit, Lahav 433’s Barak Unit and other security agencies.

One defendant now faces charges including contact with a foreign agent, three counts of providing information for the benefit of the enemy and property defacement. The other is charged with assisting contact with a foreign agent and property defacement. The allegations have not yet been proven in court.

The case is part of a far broader Iranian campaign. Another 14-year-old Israeli was indicted earlier this year after allegedly accepting cryptocurrency to film areas near the Kirya military headquarters, Ichilov Hospital and locations in Ramat Gan. The Shin Bet reported that security forces thwarted 120 suspected Iranian espionage incidents in 2025, as recruitment attempts rose 400% from the previous year. Israel has since launched a national campaign warning that Tehran’s seemingly easy online money offers can end in serious security charges and years behind bars.

The Iranian regime does not need every recruit to possess classified documents. A teenager carrying a smartphone can photograph a crowded site, map its access points, count its guards and help identify other vulnerable recruits. Police are now urging parents to watch for unexplained cryptocurrency payments, secretive Telegram contacts and online “jobs” involving photography, deliveries or political vandalism.