Former IDF soldier used foreign passport to enter Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, indictment says

An Israeli man, Lior Matan Weinstein, who also holds Romanian citizenship, has been convicted for illegally entering several Middle Eastern countries. An indictment, cleared for publication by the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court, details his travels through Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, nations where Israelis are prohibited from entering without specific authorization.

Weinstein, a 27-year-old resident of Givatayim, admitted to the facts presented in the indictment. Prosecutors had requested the gag order be lifted, arguing it was in the public interest to clarify the legal ramifications of entering countries banned for Israelis. The court accepted this reasoning, allowing the publication of the indictment filed in November 2025.

According to the indictment, Weinstein had planned his trip to the Middle East in August 2023. He entered the Kurdistan region of Iraq in August 2023, departing two days later, and returned to the area in December of the same year. Subsequently, between late January and early February 2024, he visited Yemen and spent two days in Saudi Arabia.

He is charged with unlawful entry into a country, as he did not obtain the necessary permits from the interior minister or the prime minister for his travels to Iraq, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia.