Iranian security forces have carried out a series of arrests of suspected Israeli spies and collaborators, Iranian media reported today, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
The arrests come amid heightened military exchanges between Israel and Iran in recent days.
According to the information, dozens of people were detained, including at least 18 "illegal" foreigners, in the city of Mashhad, in northeastern Iran. According to the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the detainees were involved in the production and operation of drones. The suspects, believed to be Afghan nationals, have already deported.
Another eight people were arrested in the city of Yazd, in the central part of the country. They are accused of spreading “false information“ and manipulating public opinion via the Internet, as well as of complicity in the war on the side of Israel.
Iranian media also reported a wave of arrests of suspected spies linked to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. Iran's judicial authorities said the suspects would be tried in an expedited procedure. In Iran, cooperation with enemy or foreign intelligence services is often punishable by death, DPA recalls.
Meanwhile, signals of increased repression and intimidation by the authorities are spreading on social networks. According to Iranians living abroad, access to the Internet in the country has been severely restricted, leaving much of the population in the dark about the military escalation.