Israeli court jails man for 13.5 years over alleged spying for Iran

Israeli media have reported that a court in the occupied territories has sentenced a man named Alexander Granovsky to 13 and a half years in prison on charges of spying for Iran.

According to Anadolu Agency, citing Israel’s Channel 7, the sentence was issued by the Central District Court in the city of Lod, which the outlet described as the heaviest punishment in similar cases.

The report said Granovsky, a resident of Petah Tikva, was arrested in 2024. He was said to have been convicted in connection with carrying out security-related activities for an Iranian operative.

Israeli media claim he was in contact with the person via Telegram and photographed power generation facilities as well as the neighbourhood where former senior Israeli official Benny Gantz lives, sending the images to his handler.

Israeli authorities have also claimed that Granovsky had shown readiness to carry out further missions. These allegations were made by media outlets and Israeli officials, and no independent details have been provided.

Petah Tikva and Lod are cities in central Israel, and Benny Gantz is one of the country’s well-known political and security figures.