Israeli technician accused of offering country’s nuclear secrets to Iranian regime

Twenty-nine-year-old Israeli chemical technician, Doron Bokobza, is facing charges for offering to sell sensitive information about Israel’s secret Dimona nuclear reactor to Iranian intelligence.

Bokobza, who resides in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva, reportedly initiated the contact with Iran, claiming that he had "access to the Nuclear Research Center." He was arrested last month by the Israeli intelligence agency, Shin Bet, and the Israel Police serious crime unit. 

The initial investigation revealed that Bokobza maintained ties with Iranian intelligence agents for several months. He reportedly carried out specific missions for Tehran, including taking photos of sensitive Israeli sites and transferring the classified information. 

The indictment against Bokobza stated that the Israeli technician "initiated the contact, fully aware that he was in communication with an Iranian handler and that his actions could harm national security."

He was reportedly communicating with Iranian operatives via the Telegram platform and received around $850 in cryptocurrency deposits from the Iranians for his illicit services. 

Last December, Bokobza addressed an Iranian operative in Hebrew.

"I am Israeli, and I want to work with you,” he wrote. The Iranian agent responded in English by asking why Bokobza wanted to work with Tehran. The Israeli technician reportedly said he was driven by financial struggles and dissatisfaction with the current Israeli Netanyahu government. 

While Bokobza appeared to be driven by financial distress, he simultaneously sent the Iranian agent a message of defiance and disapproval of the Iranian regime’s call for Israel’s destruction. 

"You will not defeat us. The people of Israel live!" Bokobza wrote. 

In 2021, Bokobza criticized Israel for being too lenient towards convicted terrorists in Israeli jails. 

"I served in the army, I was a combat soldier – three of the best years of my life! I pay taxes, they take from my hard-earned salary! And someone who murdered, who never paid taxes, who didn’t serve in the army (at least not the IDF), gets three kilograms of meat a week of their choice, a PlayStation and a premium TV package that rivals the best of Yes [a local satellite television provider]. I’m ashamed," he argued. 

Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Bokobza wrote several social media posts where he called for the release of the former hostage Noa Argamani and her boyfriend Avinatan Or, who is still being held hostage in Gaza. 

In one of his posts, Bokobza indicated that he knows Argamani and Or.

"Noa Argamani, where were we eight years ago? Smiling and laughing. Where were we five years ago, on some remote mountain in Bolivia? I rented a motorcycle, and you trusted me enough to climb a steep hill and photograph you looking at the Amazon River. Ah, Noa, how hard it was for me to see your abduction with Avinatan, my friend! A man I looked up to as a savior for me. Noa and Avinatan! I’m waiting for you! Return soon, safe and sound!"

In the past year, authorities have arrested several Israeli citizens who are accused of cooperating with the Iranian regime against the Jewish state. 

In October, a couple in the central Israeli city Lod faced charges of spying on behalf of Iran. 

“The defendants committed security offenses at a time when the State of Israel is waging one of the worst wars it has ever known, on many fronts, including Iran,” the arrest request stated.

“They were aware that they were agents, elements hostile to the State of Israel, and yet they continued to cooperate with them,” the State Attorney replied.