In a significant development, Iran executed four individuals on Monday, asserting their connection to an Israeli intelligence operation, as reported by Iranian state media.
The execution followed the Supreme Court’s rejection of their appeal.
The defendants faced charges of unlawfully entering Iranian territory from Iraq’s Kurdistan region with the alleged intention of conducting a bombing operation at a factory in Isfahan. The targeted facility was involved in producing equipment for Iran’s Ministry of Defence.
Reports suggest that the foiled operation, planned for the summer of 2022, was orchestrated on behalf of Israel’s Mossad. Iranian intelligence managed to thwart the attempt, leading to the subsequent arrests and legal proceedings.
Tensions between Iran and Israel, historical adversaries, have escalated amid a current dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. Israel accuses Iran of supporting militant attacks against it, while Iran contends that Israel has been responsible for numerous targeted killings of Iranian officials and scientists. Israel has consistently neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in such actions.
Iran executes four people convicted of Israeli bomb plot https://t.co/P96o3BTmq8 pic.twitter.com/UQvIdhq6Kb
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 29, 2024