Iran arrests Israeli Mossad ‘spy’ amid rising tensions

TEHRAN, Iran

An alleged spy for Israel was arrested by Iranian security agencies in the northwestern province of Ardabil, local authorities said.

Jalal Afaghi, the prosecutor general in Ardabil, said late Wednesday that the suspect was wanted by Iran's intelligence ministry and worked for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

He said the suspect hails from one of Iran’s southern provinces and had traveled to many provinces to avoid surveillance.

Afaghi said the suspect eventually planned to flee the country but was arrested in an ambush in the border province.

According to the Iranian official, the suspect was in contact with Mossad high-ranking officers "through one of the social media networks" and would collect information for them.

The announcement of the arrest came hours after the top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, vowed revenge for the killing of a military adviser in Syria.

General Salami said Wednesday that Israel “will pay for the blood” of IRGC serviceman Saeid Abyar, who was killed in an airstrike in northwestern Syria, near Aleppo, on Monday. Iran blamed Israel for the attack.

Iranian security and intelligence agencies have on many occasions in recent years arrested individuals accused of carrying out spying missions for Israel.

In January, four people allegedly working for the Israeli intelligence agency were executed two years after their arrest in connection with a bombing operation in central Isfahan province.

Weeks before that, four members of a sabotage team allegedly linked to Mossad were also executed.

The four men, according to judiciary officials, carried out "extensive actions" against the country's security forces under the direct guidance of Mossad officers.

In December 2023, a person convicted of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency was executed in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province.

Tensions between Iran and Israel, two regional arch-foes, have dramatically escalated since the April 1 attack on the Iranian Consulate in Syria, which killed seven IRGC officers.

Iran blamed the attack on Israel and responded with the first direct attack on Israel involving hundreds of drones and missiles.