Tehran [Iran], August 3 (ANI): Iran on Monday executed two individuals convicted of spying for Israel after providing sensitive targeting intelligence to foreign intelligence officers during recent military engagements.According to Fars News Agency, the executed men were identified as Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat. Iranian authorities stated that the pair operated as operatives for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, during both the “12-day war” in June between Tehran and Tel Aviv and the “Ramadan War”, a military conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.The men transmitted images, precise geographic coordinates, and operational information regarding military and security centres to Mossad handlers and affiliated communication networks, facilitating targeted attacks against those facilities, Fars reported.Evidence cited during the proceedings included intercepted transmissions between the defendants and Israeli intelligence.Fars reported that in one message, one of the defendants wrote directly to a handler, “I also have the video of them firing from this center towards a drone or fighter jet, but the internet is weak and it won’t send; thank you, soldiers of His Holiness Moses!”The executions follow efforts by Iranian security services to crack down on intelligence-gathering networks inside the country during periods of heightened military conflict.Earlier in January, Iran had carried out the execution of a man found guilty of spying for Israel’s Mossad, according to state media reports released on Wednesday, as reported by ABC.The state-run IRNA news agency named the individual as Ali Ardestani, stating that he passed classified information to Mossad operatives in exchange for financial compensation, which was reportedly paid in cryptocurrency.IRNA said Ardestani admitted to the espionage charges and had expected to receive a reward of one million dollars along with a British visa.The agency described him as a “special operative of Israel” and that he provided Mossad with photographs and video recordings of sensitive locations.According to the report, Ardestani was recruited by Israel through online channels, and his case proceeded through Iran’s judicial system, including both lower courts and the Supreme Court.Human rights groups and Western governments have criticised Iran’s extensive use of the death penalty, particularly in cases involving political activity and espionage, as reported by The Times of Israel.Activists say many convictions are based on forced confessions, and that trials are frequently held behind closed doors without access to independent legal counsel. Iranian authorities, however, insist that those executed were “agents of hostile intelligence services” involved in acts of terrorism or sabotage.The Norway-based organisation Iran Human Rights reported that Iran carried out at least 1,500 executions in 2025, describing the surge as an “unprecedented” increase in the use of capital punishment.”We have never seen numbers like this in the past 35 years,” said the group’s director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, as reported by The Times of Israel. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)


