Eliasfov revealed the Iranian agent questioned how his friends reacted when he told them about spraying graffiti for him. “They told me to be careful and called me a spy,” he said. He added that his partner asked him to cut ties with the agent, saying, “Please block him.”
“This was early on, so I blocked him,” Eliasfov said. “Later, when media reports about agents emerged, she sent me the articles and said, ‘See? It’s a good thing you stopped.’”
Superintendent Sarit Peretz of Israel Police’s Lahav 433’s National Unit for Serious and International Crime Investigations explained, “Initially, we thought they were active-duty soldiers but we later realized they were reservists and involved the Shin Bet and Military Police. This case exposed us to classified materials, requiring us to collaborate with military investigators.”
Peretz said the suspects were arrested at home, where they were “shocked” but quickly connected their detention to activities for Iran . “Initially, they downplayed the incident, but as the investigation deepened, they acknowledged their awareness of the agent, the damage their actions caused and the potential consequences,” Peretz noted.
The suspects admitted they knew they were communicating with a foreign agent but tried to claim uncertainty. Evidence, including a Ynet article they discussed about Iranian espionage, tied them directly to their actions. “The graffiti spraying was a starting point for more significant operations,” Peretz said.
Andreyev reportedly decided to stop cooperating after realizing the implications, but not before assisting Eliasfov in coordinating with the agent. Eliasfov allegedly filmed classified information from the Iron Dome base and sent it to Iranian handlers. “He claimed he only sent part of the video, but the full footage is in Iranian hands,” Peretz said.
Eliasfov also forged operational orders about an IDF raid in Lebanon and offered to sell ammunition. “The Iranian handler saw the potential there — a connection to someone in Iron Dome and another in the IDF HQ. That’s a goldmine,” Peretz added.
Regarding national security risks, Peretz concluded, “In the right hands, this information is very dangerous and will move to someone who can use it. I hope the military addresses the vulnerabilities.”