(José Niño, Headline USA) Jeffrey Epstein’s personal calendars reveal that an Israeli spy with ties to a former CIA director stayed at his Manhattan residence on multiple occasions while serving as an intermediary between American and Israeli intelligence communities.
According to a report by Dropsite News, Yoni Koren, who built his intelligence career working in covert operations alongside the Mossad and remained a lieutenant colonel in reserve duty, stayed in Epstein’s apartment for two weeks in February 2013, again for two weeks in October 2014, and a third time for ten days in September 2015.
The revelations emerge from Epstein’s personal calendars and Barak’s hacked emails, originally released by the Handala hack team.
On all three trips, Koren appeared to be conducting official or unofficial business. A Haaretz article from late January 2013 identifies him as still actively serving as the bureau chief for the Israeli Ministry of Defense that month, just weeks before his first documented stay.
After Barak retired from government, Koren continued serving as an informal intermediary between American and Israeli intelligence communities, with Barak as his handler. Email records show Barak using Koren to exchange information with AMAN, the Israeli military intelligence directorate. Koren also remained active in Epstein and Barak’s efforts to source cybersecurity startups from the technology research units of AMAN.
In February 2015, leaked emails show Barak sending Epstein bank details for funds to be wired to Koren’s Citibank account. The purpose of the transfer remains unknown, but the bank information was followed by an unusually cryptic communication between Barak and Koren regarding a physical bank card.
Days later, Koren helped arrange a private tour of the White House and Pentagon for Barak and his grandchildren. The Pentagon visit was coordinated by Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the CIA and Defense Department. Koren and Bash helped exchange messages and arrange meetings between their respective bosses, Barak and Leon Panetta, the former CIA director and defense secretary.
The cryptic February 2015 exchange stands out among hundreds of emails between Barak and Koren. After meeting with Epstein twice in quick succession, Barak sent Epstein an email titled “Yoni acc. Info” containing wire transfer details for a Citibank account belonging to Koren. Days later, Barak sent unusual instructions in English, a departure from the Hebrew the two men typically used, directing Koren to collect a package containing red Beats headphones from a Manhattan hotel.
“To get a refund in cash, you’ll need the card,” Barak wrote. “Email me when you collect it.”
Koren responded in Hebrew asking, “No problem, what’s her name?” Barak replied with a name that appears nowhere else in his emails. When Koren later confirmed the card had been credited with funds, Barak instructed him to “Keep the card.”
Documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed that both men were major counterintelligence targets for the United States and that the NSA had been monitoring their communications.
Koren’s intelligence career began in the Research Division of AMAN, eventually rising to senior officer. In 1985, he worked on a covert campaign with Mossad to help Syrian intelligence kidnap PLO operatives. When Barak became IDF chief of staff in the 1990s, Koren became his bureau chief. He later served as assistant to Israel’s military attaché in Washington, coordinating with senior Pentagon contacts including Colin Powell.
While staying at Epstein’s apartment in October 2014, Koren maintained contact with spies in AMAN despite his status as a private citizen. When Barak asked him to confirm a Haaretz report about Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi with someone in AMAN, Koren returned hours later with a response. “It never happened.”
Barak wrote a eulogy for Koren after his death in January 2023, calling him “A talented intelligence officer…with endless loyalty to the role, the IDF and the state. A brave man who knew no fear, even when he stood in front of the forces of evil.”
Jeremy Bash and Barak did not respond to requests for comment.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
