Dennis Liachov from Rishon Lezion was indicted on Sunday for spying for an Iranian agent. Over two dozen such cases have occurred since the start of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023.
Liachov's case stands out from the rest for his proactivity - throughout the contact period, he initiated contact with the Iranian intelligence agents under different names and different accounts. He was charged with contact with a foreign agent and passing along information to the enemy.
The war with Iran began by proxy on October 7, 2023. It turned frontal twice before Israel's attacks last week, the first on April 13, 2024, and the second on October 10 of that year, when Jerusalem bombed military targets. Both Iranian aerial attacks struck military and civilian sites in Israel, including the Nevatim Israel Air Force (IAF) base.
On October 26, 2024, Israel launched strikes against targets in Iran, and earlier this month began the Rising Lion operation, which lasted 12 days. Twenty-nine civilians were killed, thousands were injured, and property was destroyed.
Liachov lived in Latvia from July 20, 2024, to February 26, 2025. At some point during this time, he was instructed to write "F*** Bibi" on a piece of paper and filmed himself lighting it on fire. He sent the video to the agent and received NIS 70 for it. He repeated this process under different aliases, receiving, throughout his time in Latvia, USD 135.
He was also asked to arrive at a specific address, film the area, and send the video, which he didn't do.
Contacting Iran under different aliases
When he returned to Israel in February, he reached out to the agent under a different profile. He did the same thing, filming a video of burning a photo with a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for USD 20.
Overall, between February 21 and March 15, the man contacted the agents, sometimes through different profiles, “knowing full well that this is an anti-Israel actor.” He was paid for some of the acts with digital money.
During this time, the agent instructed him to arrive at an address in Petah Tikva, film a residential area, send the video, and also share his location. He agreed, for a price range of USD 200-300. He eventually received USD 66 into his digital account.
He was also instructed to arrive at a car dealer in Netanya and inquire about seven different vehicles, filming the whole interaction. They agreed on NIS 600 for payment.
A short while later, he told the agent he wouldn't be able to get to Netanya on his own, that he would require a cab, which would be another NIS 250, “even though he didn't intend to do it,” reads the indictment. The agent transferred him USD 100, but the act was never fulfilled.