During Israel’s recent war with Iran, Tel Aviv was able to use its networks within the country for intelligence gathering and launching attacks [Getty]
Iran has identified Israeli networks operating within the country and is continuing its crackdown following the recent 12-day war with Israel, in which Tel Aviv exploited a number of security flaws.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangiri told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on Saturday that Tehran had “obtained useful information about enemy networks in the country”, adding that the pursuit of these groups was being carried out “precisely, decisively and swiftly”.
The spokesman said that a number of people have been arrested on espionage charges.
“Until the court issues a ruling, we cannot consider anyone a spy or issue a sentence against them,” the spokesman said, adding that few details had been disclosed about the cases “due to the possibility that they could be exploited by the enemy”.
Regarding the alleged killings of Israeli spies, the spokesman said: “I do not confirm this.”
During Israel’s recent war with Iran, Tel Aviv was able to use its networks within the country for intelligence gathering and launching attacks, a fact acknowledged by Tehran.
The war, launched with the stated aim of destroying or downgrading Iran’s nuclear capabilities, also had the aim of encouraging regime change, a goal endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.
Israel also targeted Iran’s notorious Evin prison, which Jahangiri said it had carried out to “terrorise society and to force people to abandon their support for the revolution, Islam, and Iran”.
The spokesman noted that the attack resulted in the deaths of 79 people, including ordinary civilians, relatives of prisoners, judicial personnel, prison staff, and residents of the area.
Jahangiri said the number of prisoners who had escaped after the attack was “not large”, and did not include any prominent names.
In separate developments, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran’s northern Mazandaran province said on Saturday that its intelligence wing had arrested an “enemy field operative who was planning a terrorist attack under the direct guidance of anti-Iranian elements abroad”. The URGC added that other members of the network were also identified and arrested.
Iran has carried out near-daily arrests of suspected spies and collaborators since Israel launched its surprise attack in June that sparked the 12-day war.