Efforts are ongoing in Iran to secure the release of five members of the local Jewish community who remain in custody following Operation Rising Lion.
According to a report aired Monday morning on Kan Reshet Bet, two of the detainees are Jews holding American citizenship.
The report noted that at least 35 Jews from communities across Iran were arrested for questioning on suspicion of ties to Israel amid the ongoing war. In recent days, 11 of those detained have been released.
One of the American citizens arrested is a Jew of Iranian descent who resides in Los Angeles and had traveled to Iran to visit relatives. He was released on bail in recent days. The second detainee is an Iranian-born Jew who left Iran for New York 30 years ago and had returned for a family visit; he remains in custody.
“They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said a source familiar with the efforts to secure their release. The move by Iranian authorities is seen as unusual and was carried out as part of a broader wave of mass arrests across the country, including among minority communities, on suspicion of cooperation with Israel.