Iran arrests dozens of alleged informants for Israel

According to local media reports, as Israeli and US warplanes continue to hit new targets in the country, dozens of people accused of sharing sensitive information with Israel have been arrested in various regions of Iran.

The state prosecutor’s office arrested 20 people in northwestern Iran on charges of sending location details of Iranian military and security assets to Israel, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Sunday.

Tasnim reported that 10 people were arrested on Sunday in northeastern Iran, which was relatively unaffected by airstrikes, some accused of collecting information on sensitive places and economic infrastructure.

“As the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the United States seek to invade Iran, they are simultaneously mobilizing mercenaries and spies to carry out the uprisings as the next step,” a provincial branch of the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence agency said, according to Tasnim.

The Student News Network also reported Sunday that three people were detained in the western province of Lorestan on charges of “disturbing public opinion and burning symbols of mourning.”

Israel has begun targeting security checkpoints based on tips from informants on the ground, representing a new phase of its attack on Iran, a source with knowledge of Israel’s military strategy told Reuters this week.

In January, weeks before the United States and Israel launched the current war against Iran, there were widespread anti-government protests in Iran that were suppressed in the deadliest crackdown in the history of the Islamic Republic.

Authorities had accused Israel and the United States of inciting “violent riots” aimed at overthrowing the religious institution.