{"id":233780,"date":"2026-08-03T10:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T10:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/233780\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T10:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T10:35:14","slug":"iran-hangs-two-accused-of-spying-for-israel-as-wartime-executions-ramp-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/233780\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran hangs two accused of spying for Israel as wartime executions ramp up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran on Monday executed two men convicted of spying for Israel, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of hangings over alleged espionage.<\/p>\n

Since the start of the war with Israel and the United States in February, Tehran has ramped up executions<\/a>, with many of the convicts accused of spying for Israeli intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cOmid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were hanged this morning for transmitting the coordinates of sensitive military and security sites to Mossad agents,\u201d said Mizan, the media outlet for Iran\u2019s judiciary, referring to Israel\u2019s foreign intelligence service.<\/p>\n

It did not specify when the pair were arrested or when they went on trial, but said they were convicted of \u201cespionage and collaboration with the Zionist regime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey helped the intelligence services achieve their objectives by providing them with information on military and security centers during the war,\u201d Mizan added.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the executed individuals was accused of passing coordinates to the administrator of a Telegram channel that the IRGC charges was linked to Israel\u2019s Mossad spy agency, according to Mizan.<\/p>\n

Iran executed two political prisoners convicted of \u201cspying and intelligence cooperation with Israel\u201d early on Monday, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported, extending a recent surge in executions tied to national security charges.<\/p>\n

Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat, the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ztWakBi43t<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The second person, described by Mizan as \u201cone of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu\u2019s soldiers,\u201d was said to have sent information to the Mossad as well as to Iran International, a leading news outlet for dissidents in exile that Tehran accuses of also being an intelligence front.\n<\/p>\n

The number of executions in Iran has risen since the start of the war, which broke out on February 28 with massive US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran\u2019s supreme leader.<\/p>\n

Iran is the world\u2019s second-most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.<\/p>\n

The authorities executed at least 1,639 people last year, a record high since 1989, according to Iran Human Rights, an NGO based in Norway, and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), which is headquartered in Paris.<\/p>\n

Last Tuesday, Amnesty denounced<\/a> what it said was the \u201cescalation\u201d in executions after Iran announced the hanging of two men found guilty of taking part in anti-government protests during the winter.<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n

As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a>
\n\t\t