Iranian authorities say they have arrested dozens of people accused of spying for Israel in several provinces, according to state media reports over the weekend.
Fars, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported on Sunday that the West Azerbaijan Prosecutor’s Office had arrested 20 people in the northwestern city of Urmia for allegedly providing Israel with information on military, police and security locations.
On Saturday, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said it had arrested several “enemy agents” across the country, including a 10-member group in Mazandaran province and another 10-member network in Khorasan Razavi province, according to Tasnim, a semi-official news agency.
Authorities said the suspects transferred the locations of military installations and economic infrastructure and shared the coordinates of public places, academic institutions and research centers with Israel.
IRANIAN REGIME SPREADS ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA OVER TEENZEN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: REPORT
Police officers stand atop a patrol car during a rally in support of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s successor as Iran’s Supreme Leader, in Tehran, Iran, on March 9, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)
In the southern province of Khuzestan, intelligence officials also reported arresting a three-member “terrorist team” accused of carrying out armed attacks on security forces and government facilities.
The Wall Street Journal reports this last week, Israel relied on tips from ordinary Iranians to identify targets for attacks in Iran, citing a senior Israeli security official.
The newspaper said information about potential targets is sent through Israeli Persian social media accounts and is verified by Israeli authorities before attacks are carried out.
CIA ENCOURAGES IRANIANS TO USE BURNER PHONES, TOR TO CONTACT US IN PERSIAN LANGUAGE VIDEO
A woman holds an Iranian flag during a funeral in northern Tehran, Iran, on March 14, 2026. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
In a separate development, Bahraini authorities said on Sunday they had arrested five people accused of passing sensitive information to the IRGC and helping recruit operatives for possible attacks in the country.
According to a statement from the Bahrain Police Media Center, the suspects allegedly collected coordinates and images of sensitive locations, including hotels, and passed them on to the IRGC.
IRANIAN REGIME SPREADS ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA OVER TEENZEN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: REPORT
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Officials said a suspect previously received training at IRGC camps in “smuggling persons and recruiting operatives to participate in the execution of terrorist plots.”
The five detainees were referred to the Bahrain Public Prosecution Service, while a sixth suspect identified in the case is believed to be a fugitive abroad.
