Iran Arrests 8 Israeli Mossad Spies, Explosives Seized

JAKARTA - Iran's Revolutionary Guards have arrested eight spies suspected of attempting to transmit coordinates of sensitive locations and details about senior military figures to Israel's Mossad.

They are accused of providing the information to the Mossad intelligence agency during Israel's airstrikes on Iran in June, when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders and civilians in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran retaliated with a barrage of missile attacks on Israeli military sites, infrastructure, and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards accused the suspects of receiving special training from Mossad through an online platform.

Reuters reported on Saturday, August 30, that the spies were arrested in northeastern Iran before carrying out their plan. Materials for making launchers, bombs, explosives, and booby traps were seized.

State media reported earlier this month that Iranian police had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel, though they did not say what these individuals were suspected of.

Security forces launched widespread arrest campaigns and also increased their street presence during the brief war, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.

Iran has executed eight people in recent months, including nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, who was hanged on August 9 for providing information to Israel about another scientist killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Human rights groups say Iran uses espionage charges and summary executions as tools for broader political repression.