Two brothers from the Jerusalem area are in hot water after allegedly feeding an Iranian operative fabricated intelligence — much of it generated with artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini.
Both in their 20s, the defendants reportedly earned over 100,000 shekels ($32,094) in crypto for the supposed secrets, according to local Israeli media.
From False Identity to Military Strikes
The security charges, unsealed late March after a gag order, said the scheme began in August 2025 when the Iranian agent contacted one brother via Telegram.
Suspecting the handler was Iranian, he posed as a computer science student preparing to enlist in Unit 8200, an elite intelligence group in the Israeli Defense Forces, and created a fake “friend” inside the unit to boost credibility.
The brothers are accused of staging conversations, forging documents, and using AI to generate photos of the fictional soldier.
Prosecutors also said the pair sent fabricated reports on potential Israeli-American strikes, strategic targets in Iran, and even made a bogus claim linking Tel Aviv to the 2024 helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
According to authorities, some of the information they established was entirely invented, while other parts were stitched together from overheard conversations or publicly available sources.
‘Reward Instead of Jail Time’
The defense has called the indictment “outrageous,” arguing the brothers were not traitors but “patriotic Zionist brothers” attempting to deceive Tehran rather than assist it.
“They sold fabricated information to the Iranians… in exchange for money,” The Jerusalem Post quoted their attorney as saying.
“Their intention was to harm and deceive the Iranian enemy, and they succeeded in doing so. Instead of filing an indictment in this unnecessary case, the state should award them the Israel Prize for their contribution to the nation’s security.”
One brother remains in custody pending trial. Both face charges of contact with a foreign agent, passing information to the enemy, and impersonation.
