Cairo, Dec 29 (EFE).- Iran on Friday executed four prisoners, including a woman, who were convicted of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency “Mossad,” the official IRNA news agency reported.
The four prisoners, reportedly Iranians, were executed in the northwestern Iranian province of Azerbaijan.
They had been arrested in October last year along with six others and were tried on charges of “sabotage” and “espionage” for Israel, according to IRNA.
“Four of a sabotage team linked to the Zionist regime, who had engaged in large-scale actions against the country’s security under the direction of Mossad officers, were hanged on Friday morning,” the agency said.
“ of this group received money from agents of the Zionist entity and Mossad officers on several occasions in exchange for the tasks they completed, and they communicated directly with Mossad officers,” it added.
According to the Iranian judiciary, the network were involved in assassinations, kidnappings, destruction, and arson cases, all aimed at disrupting the country’s national security.
The remaining six of the group were each sentenced to 10 years in jail for their links to Israeli intelligence and their involvement in acts against the country’s national security.
Iran and Israel, as longstanding bitter rivals, have long been competing for regional hegemony and involved in a covert war, including cyberattacks, assassinations, and sabotage activities.
In recent months, Iran has seen an increase in the execution of convicted prisoners.
On Dec. 16, Iran executed a man convicted of spying for foreign intelligence services, including Israel’s Mossad.
In 2022, Iran executed at least 576 people—more than any other country except China—according to Amnesty International’s annual report on the death penalty.
Executions were up 83 percent compared to 2021, the rights group said.
In 2023, the country has executed more than 750 people, most of them for crimes related to drug trafficking and possession, according to rights groups. EFE
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