Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said it had dismantled two alleged armed cells affiliated with Israel’s Mossad agency and arrested an individual accused of trying to transfer classified information about a military site abroad, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.
The arrests were carried out across six provinces, according to the ministry’s statement cited by IRNA. One alleged operative was killed during an armed clash, the ministry added.
The ministry said one four-member cell, which it claimed was linked to Mossad, had been preparing to carry out attacks in West Azerbaijan and several Tehran provinces before it was identified and dismantled in Azerbaijan.
According to the statement, the cell had allegedly received money from Mossad in several stages to carry out attacks against sensitive sites and government buildings, as well as to assassinate an individual in Tehran.
One member of the cell was killed after the operatives allegedly resisted arrest while armed, while three others were detained, the ministry said.
Zeised equipment reportedly included drones, weapons, and a vehicle
A second alleged cell was reportedly in the reconnaissance phase of a planned attack against Iranian military personnel in Kerman and Alborz provinces when it was identified and arrested.
Three members of that cell were detained, and Iranian authorities said they found weapons and espionage equipment at the group’s hideout.
The equipment allegedly included three drones and a vehicle used to transport them, three semi-automatic pistols with silencers, a Winchester rifle, a scoped rifle, ammunition, long-range handheld and vehicle-mounted two-way radios, Starlink receiver devices, and bulletproof vests, IRNA reported.
The ministry also said that an individual identified only as “Masoud” was arrested in northern Iran on suspicion of attempting to send classified information about a military center to foreign countries.
Iran has repeatedly claimed to have arrested individuals linked to Mossad amid its long-running shadow war with Israel. Israel does not typically comment on such claims.