State prosecutors filed charges on Thursday against an Israeli citizen accused of spying on former prime minister Naftali Bennett on behalf of Iranian interests.

Shortly before the indictment was filed against 40-year-old Vadim Kupriyanov, police announced that they had arrested the Rishon Lezion resident on December 8, several weeks after he was spotted filming outside Bennett’s home in Ra’anana.

According to a report by the Kan public broadcaster, Kupriyanov has worked in maintenance at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv for the last three years, operating in sensitive areas of the Israel Defense Forces’ headquarters.

He was even called in to fix a leak in the office of IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on the day that the latter entered office, according to Kan.

Responding to the news, ex-premier Bennett vowed: “Iran’s efforts to harm me will not stop me in my life’s mission.”

It isn’t the first time the former prime minister has been targeted in Iranian espionage efforts. Hackers linked to the Islamic Republic broke into his Telegram account several weeks ago, gaining access to his contacts and chats on the messaging app. And in May, an Israeli teen was caught spying on Bennett

© The Times of Israel