Iran has turned Telegram into a conveyor belt for espionage, and Israel's own citizens are the product.
A CNN investigation published on 11 May 2026 confirmed that at least 60 Israelis have been indicted on charges of spying for Iran since 2023, a figure that Israeli security officials describe as an 'epidemic.' Handlers operating anonymously through the messaging platform began with low-stakes assignments, then escalated targets into intelligence gathering, surveillance of military sites, and in some cases explicit requests to carry out assassinations.
