Iran says it has executed Mossad spy

Iran on Saturday said it executed an Israeli Mossad spy, state television reported on Saturday. The report said the spy was linked to foreign intelligence services, including Mossad, and was convicted of involvement in releasing classified information. The execution took place in a prison in Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan. "The death sentence was carried out this morning against a spy of the Zionist regime in Zahedan prison," the judiciary's Mizan Online website was quoted as saying by media. It did not identify the man but said he had been convicted of "intelligence co-operation and espionage for the benefit for the hostile Zionist regime ( Israel )". He was also found guilty of "collecting and providing classified information to the Mossad spy service with the aim of disrupting public order", Mizan added. In April 2022, Iranian intelligence officers arrested three people they said belonged to a group linked to Mossad. It is not clear if the executed person was one of them. Iran and Israel have accused each other of spying and waging a shadow war for years. Israel views Iran as its greatest adversary and has repeatedly threatened to take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is seeking such weapons and has vowed a harsh response to any aggression. Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries. In 2020, Iran executed a man convicted of leaking information to the US and Israel about a prominent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general who was later assassinated by a US drone in Iraq. Iran does not recognise Israel and supports anti-Israeli armed groups across the region, including Hezbollah and Hamas.