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Iranian authorities claim to have apprehended 35 individuals on various charges ranging from espionage to illegal trafficking. According to the Iranian state media Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the group includes suspects described by the Intelligence Ministry as being "Mossad-linked," alongside arms smugglers and affiliates of separatist organisations.
The ministry confirmed that the security operations were widespread, stating that the arrests were made "in six provinces of the country." The statement, carried by IRNA, noted that the sweep targeted multiple threats to national security simultaneously. These arrests coincide with high-level admissions regarding the extent of foreign intelligence penetration within Iran. Mossad Director David Barnea recently disclosed that the agency operated "in the heart of Tehran" during the recent military campaign involving the United States and Israel. As reported by the Times of Israel, Barnea made these disclosures on Tuesday during a ceremony held for Holocaust Remembrance Day, shedding light on the depth of undercover operations within Iranian territory. The spy chief further detailed the agency's role in facilitating direct military action, asserting that the clandestine service provided critical data to the military. "We brought precise intelligence to the Air Force, and we hit missiles that threatened Israel," he stated, linking intelligence gathering to the physical destruction of Iranian assets. Despite the recent conclusion of major hostilities, Barnea indicated that the agency's objectives remain active and go beyond the immediate conflict. According to the Times of Israel, the director noted that the cessation of strikes did not signal the end of their operations. "But our mission has yet to be completed," he added. "We didn't think that this mission would be completed immediately with the end of the battles. But we planned intensively for our campaign to continue and achieve results even in the period after the strikes in Tehran." Defining the long-term scope of the agency's mandate, Barnea clarified that the Mossad's responsibility in the matter would end "only when this radical regime is replaced." This statement frames the recent arrests in Iran as part of a much larger and ongoing clandestine struggle for political survival and regional dominance. The Times of Israel highlighted that the director explicitly linked the agency's goals to the removal of the current Iranian administration. Regime change in Iran, according to Barnea, "is our mission. We will not stand by, watching, in the face of another existential threat." (ANI)
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