Iran reportedly executed four people on Friday who were accused of spying for Israel. The incident took place amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas — the latter of which is believed to be working alongside Iran.
The four people — three men and one woman — were reportedly hanged after being convicted of kidnapping Iranian security forces in an effort to extract intelligence from them, according to the Telegraph.
The four alleged spies had also been accused of setting fire to cars and apartments belonging to Iranian intelligence agents.
The names of the four executed are Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo and the woman as Nasim Namazi.
“Four members of a sabotage group related to the Zionist regime [Israel] … were hanged this morning,” the Mizan news agency reported. The group had apparently “committed extensive actions against the country’s security under the guidance of … Mossad,” the Jewish state’s spy agency.
The Times of Israel reported that the four had been sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh,” or waging war against God, and “corruption on Earth.”
Tehran often claims that it has foiled Mossad operations throughout the country, but it is unclear how accurate these claims are.
Earlier this month, Iran reportedly executed a man who was sentenced to death after being convicted of working with Israel’s intelligence services. The judiciary’s Mizan Online claimed that the man had been convicted of “intelligence cooperation and espionage for the benefit [of] the hostile Zionist regime.”
The unidentified man was also convicted of “collecting and providing classified information to the Mossad spy service with the aim of disrupting public order,” according to the Times of Israel.
Iran does not recognize Israel as an independent country, and the two have engaged in a shadow war for a number of years. The U.S. has accused Iran of backing terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as carrying out drone attacks against U.S. forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.
However, Iran has accused the Jewish state of executing attacks and assassinations meant to disrupt the nation’s nuclear program.
Amnesty International has reported that Iran carries out more executions per year than any other country in the world except for China.
The human rights organization claims “[t]he Iranian authorities are carrying out a horrific state-sanctioned killing spree under the guise of judicial executions. Those executed include people convicted of drug-related offences, protesters, political dissidents, and members of oppressed ethnic minorities. Call for states to urgently intervene to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt all executions now.”
Iran is known for carrying out executions by hanging.
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