Iran has killed three men and one woman who were accused of spying on behalf of Israel’s top intelligence agency, media affiliated to the judiciary has reported.
The executions reportedly took place in West Azerbaijan and marked the second round of killings of alleged Mossad-linked spies this month as bitter enemies Iran and Israel face off.
Mizan news agency reported: “Four members of a sabotage team associated with the Zionist regime … were executed this morning following legal procedures.”
It accused them of committing “extensive” actions that were directed by Mossad officers and aimed at Tehran’s security.
The Tasnim news agency named the members as Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo, and Nasim Namazi.
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They were sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh”, which translates from Islam as “waging war against God” and “corruption on Earth” via their “collaboration with the Zionist regime”.
The group of four were the main convicts in a case with a total of 10 offenders, it was claimed.
It was not immediately clear if the other offenders would face the same brutal punishment.
Iranian intelligence reportedly kept the group under surveillance for at least four months.
They began monitoring in January 2022 until their arrest that May.
The group was then “transferred from a neighbouring country” to Iran, the state-run news agency IRNA reports.
On December 16, an accused Mossad agent was reportedly killed in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
In December 2022, the Islamic regime hanged four people who had been convicted of collaborating with Israeli intelligence agencies.
Iran and Israel are regional enemies who have long been engaged in proxy wars across the Middle East.
Tehran refuses to recognise Israel’s existence, with Israel threatening military action if diplomacy fails to stop its alleged nuclear activities.
Tensions have soared in recent months following Hamas’ terror attack on Israel on October 7 and the retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
According to an October report in the Wall Street Journal, around 500 members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad – a terrorist organisation based in Palestine – were training in Iran ahead of the attack on Israel.
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