Iran Detains Five Suspected Mossad Operatives Over Alleged Online Propaganda Campaign
Iranian news outlets say that five alleged Mossad intelligence agents were arrested on suspicion of damaging Israel’s reputation on the internet. According to a statement from the Revolutionary Guards, “these mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online,” according to the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies.
The arrests were made in the western region of Lorestan, they add. As concerns about the extent of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service’s infiltration of the Islamic Republic mount, Iran has detained hundreds of individuals on suspicion of spying.
28 people in the capital have been detained and charged with espionage for Israel since Israeli strikes started on Friday. On Monday, a man who was detained on the same allegation two years ago was hanged in what seemed to be a warning to any potential collaborator.
For allegedly posting articles online “in support of the Zionist regime,” the Iranian regime has also arrested dozens of people nationwide. They are accused of upsetting the “psychological security of society,” including 60 individuals in Isfahan, where Israel allegedly targeted a nuclear site.
The Tehran prosecutor’s office established a dedicated team to keep an eye on news organisations and individuals with sizable social media followings. Following the arrest of several activists and the warning of others, the crackdown grew more intense on Tuesday.
According to Fars News Agency, even ISNA, a state-affiliated news organisation, was warned for breaking rules, albeit it did not elaborate on the specifics of the infractions.
As Tehran struggles with the disclosure that Mossad agents brought weapons into Iran prior to Israel’s historic strike and deployed them to target the nation from within, the wave of arrests has occurred.
Since then, Iranian suspicions have increased to the point where the country’s Intelligence Ministry has been urging people to report suspicious conduct and providing advice on how to identify collaborators.
According to one ministry statement, citizens should be cautious of strangers driving pickup trucks while toting heavy loads, wearing masks or goggles, or filming in residential, commercial, or military locations.
Others who wear “masks, hats, and sunglasses, even at night” and those who receive “frequent package deliveries by courier” were singled out for suspicion in a poster released by the state-affiliated Nour News, which is linked to Iran’s security establishment.
In addition to “houses with curtains drawn even during the day,” the sign requests that people report “unusual sounds from inside the house, such as screaming, the sound of metal equipment, continuous banging.”
Another police-produced advertisement that was featured in official media urged landlords who had recently rented out their houses to call the police right away. In the meantime, Iranian journalists have informed CNN that they are not allowed to take street photos.
The growing isolation of the Islamic Republic’s leadership, which has been shaken by anti-regime demonstrations in recent years after a young woman was killed while in the care of the nation’s so-called morality police, is only made worse by fears of Israeli penetration.
According to Iran’s state-run media, the Basij, a paramilitary branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, has been sent out on night patrols to enhance “surveillance” following the Israeli infiltration, using the same force that was used to put an end to the protests.
Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, called on “traitors” to come forward in a video statement on Monday. He said those who realised they had been “deceived by the enemy” might be given more lenient treatment and be “honoured” by Iran, while those who were caught would be “taught a lesson that the Zionist enemy is being given now.”
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the head of Iran’s judiciary, demanded that anybody suspected of working with Israel be punished “swiftly.”
“Suppose we have caught someone working with (Israel) on this issue in these warlike circumstances. must be immediately prosecuted and punished,” he stated.
“Suppose we have caught someone working with (Israel) on this issue in these warlike circumstances. must be immediately prosecuted and punished,” he stated.
As more information about the Mossad operation that smuggled weapons into Iran before the initial attacks on Friday becomes available, the Iranian regime is becoming increasingly paranoid.
Israeli officials claim that agents set up a facility inside Iran to launch explosive drones, which they then used to attack missile sites close to Tehran.
Israel’s Air Force carried out more than 100 attacks with up to 200 aircraft in the early hours of Friday local time, they claim, after precision weaponry was also smuggled in and used to target surface-to-air missile systems.
According to reports, Israel’s Air Force was also able to target prominent Iranian commanders and scientists thanks to intelligence obtained by the Mossad in Iran.
Iranian media sites claim that since then, the government has confiscated items in the Tehran province city of Rey that were purportedly utilised in the Israeli operation. These items include 200 kilogrammes of explosives, multiple suicide drones, launchers, and tools for making the drones.
The state-affiliated Fars News Agency released a video that showed a building filled with drone parts and other equipment.
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