State prosecutors submitted an indictment to the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday against 33-year-old Bekhruz Shakhriv Dodobaev. The charges claim he collected and passed details about missile strike locations, Haifa Port, and an Elbit Systems site to Iranian intelligence contacts in return for cryptocurrency transfers.

Dodobaev, a Tajik citizen whose temporary Israeli residency permit had expired by May, is charged with contact with a foreign agent, nine counts of communicating information that could benefit an enemy, and four counts of communicating information to an enemy with intent to harm state security.

Dodobaev was first contacted via Telegram while seeking short-term employment

The indictment states that Dodobaev received an initial approach through Telegram in late 2025 or early 2026 while searching for temporary work. A profile using the name Anna offered payment for photographing cars before revealing ties to an Iranian organization.

According to the filing, from February through June Dodobaev received instructions from three handlers identified as Anna, Uri, and Polina, described by prosecutors as Iranian foreign agents. He was reportedly compensated via digital wallets for tasks that involved transmitting footage, photographs, and coordinates from sites where Iranian missiles had landed during the conflict.

One assignment required Dodobaev to visit Haifa Port and record the shoreline, vessels, and port facilities, including close-range images of ships.

In May he was directed to the Elbit Systems Cyclone facility in Ahihud under the cover of documenting a missile-impact site. Prosecutors allege he transmitted coordinates and video after confirming he had entered a secured area and observed an Elbit sign.

The prosecution further claims Dodobaev assisted Iranian handlers in expanding their recruitment efforts inside Israel. He allegedly circulated job advertisements in migrant neighborhoods of Ashdod and Tel Aviv that contained Telegram contact details provided by the handlers, with the goal of locating additional individuals for similar tasks.

Dodobaev expressed brief concern about imprisonment in April

The indictment notes that Dodobaev told one handler in April that he feared imprisonment because others had worked with them and wished to cease activity. After being informed that refusal would end contact, he reportedly resumed the assignments the next day.

Alongside the indictment, prosecutors requested that the court hold Dodobaev in detention until proceedings conclude. Evidence cited includes his statements to investigators, Telegram records, media files from his phones, digital-wallet transfers, transportation data, and documentation linked to the alleged missions.

The case forms part of a wider pattern of Iran-linked espionage probes that rely on online recruitment and digital payments. In its annual report released earlier this year, the Shin Bet indicated that 25 Israelis and foreign residents were indicted in 2025 for alleged espionage on behalf of Iran, while 120 separate incidents were prevented during the same period.