Iran obtained 'sensitive' Israeli intelligence: state TV
TEHRAN: Iranian state television reported on Saturday that Tehran had obtained a trove of "strategic and sensitive" Israeli intelligence, including files related to Israel's nuclear facilities and defence plans.
"Iran's intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime (Israel)," the state broadcaster said, citing informed regional sources.
The report did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.
The intelligence reportedly included "thousands of documents related to that regime's nuclear plans and facilities," it added.
Iranian intelligence agencies and other state media did not immediately comment on the report.
According to state television, "the data haul was extracted during a covert operation," and included a "vast volume of materials -- including documents, images, and videos."
The report said the data was thoroughly reviewed by Iranian authorities after being securely transferred to the country.
Iran and Israel have waged a years-long campaign of covert and overt operations against each other, ranging from cyberattacks and assassinations to drone strikes and acts of sabotage.
Tehran accuses Israel of orchestrating the killings of several of its nuclear scientists, while Israel has blamed Iran for supporting militant groups across the region and targeting Israeli interests abroad.
Western countries, led by the United States and Israel, Iran's sworn enemy and considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, accuse Tehran of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons.
Iran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to civilian nuclear power under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.
The report comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program, which Israeli leaders view as an existential threat.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently expressed support for bombing Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
Last year, tensions between the two foes reached an all-time high as they exchanged direct fire amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. - AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
4 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Netanyahu admits to arming criminal gangs in Gaza
JERUSALEM: Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to arming criminal groups in Gaza, following comments by Knesset member and ex-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman who said that the government was "giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons". "What did Lieberman leak? ... That on the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas. What is bad about that?" Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media. "It is only good, it is saving lives of Israeli soldiers." Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the criminal group is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks". Michael Milshtein, an expert on Palestinian affairs at the Moshe Dayan Center in Tel Aviv, told AFP that the Abu Shabab clan was part of a Bedouin tribe that spans across the border between Gaza and Egypt's Sinai peninsula. Some of the tribe's members, he said, were involved in "all kinds of criminal activities, drug smuggling, and things like that". Army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin on Friday confirmed the military supported arming local militias in Gaza but remained tight-lipped on the details. "I can say that we are operating in various ways against Hamas governance," Defrin said during a televised press conference when questioned on the subject, without elaborating further. Milshtein said that Abu Shabab had spent time in prison in Gaza and that his clan chiefs had recently denounced him as an Israeli "collaborator and a gangster". "It seems that actually the Shabak (Israeli security agency) or the (military) thought it was a wonderful idea to turn this militia, gang actually, into a proxy, to give them weapons and money and shelter" from army operations, Milshtein said. He added that Hamas killed four members of the gang days ago. The ECFR said Abu Shabab was "reported to have been previously jailed by Hamas for drug smuggling. His brother is said to have been killed by Hamas during a crackdown against the group's attacks on UN aid convoys." Hamas said the group had "chosen betrayal and theft as their path" and called on civilians to oppose them. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, said it had evidence of "clear coordination between these looting gangs, collaborators with the occupation, and the enemy army itself in the looting of aid and the fabrication of humanitarian crises that deepen the suffering of" Palestinians. Milshtein called Israel's decision to arm a group such as Abu Shabab "a fantasy, not something that you can really describe as a strategy". "I really hope it will not end with catastrophe," he said. - AFP
Kuwait Times
4 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Iran obtained 'sensitive' Israeli intelligence: state TV
TEHRAN: Iranian state television reported on Saturday that Tehran had obtained a trove of "strategic and sensitive" Israeli intelligence, including files related to Israel's nuclear facilities and defence plans. "Iran's intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime (Israel)," the state broadcaster said, citing informed regional sources. The report did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them. The intelligence reportedly included "thousands of documents related to that regime's nuclear plans and facilities," it added. Iranian intelligence agencies and other state media did not immediately comment on the report. According to state television, "the data haul was extracted during a covert operation," and included a "vast volume of materials -- including documents, images, and videos." The report said the data was thoroughly reviewed by Iranian authorities after being securely transferred to the country. Iran and Israel have waged a years-long campaign of covert and overt operations against each other, ranging from cyberattacks and assassinations to drone strikes and acts of sabotage. Tehran accuses Israel of orchestrating the killings of several of its nuclear scientists, while Israel has blamed Iran for supporting militant groups across the region and targeting Israeli interests abroad. Western countries, led by the United States and Israel, Iran's sworn enemy and considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, accuse Tehran of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran denies having such military ambitions but insists on its right to civilian nuclear power under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory. The report comes amid ongoing tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program, which Israeli leaders view as an existential threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently expressed support for bombing Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Last year, tensions between the two foes reached an all-time high as they exchanged direct fire amid Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. - AFP
Arab Times
12 hours ago
- Arab Times
Italians head to polls in referendum on citizenship and labor
ROME, June 9, (AP): Italians headed to the polls Monday on the second and final day of referendums that would make it easier for children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship, and on providing more job protections. But partial data showed a low turnout, well below the required 50% plus one threshold, risking to invalidate the vote. Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law say it will help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs. Partial data from Italy's Interior Ministry published at 2100 GMT on Sunday showed that national turnout stood at 22.7%, just over half of the 41% registered at the same time of the day in the latest comparable referendum held in 2011. The polling stations close later Monday at 1300 GMT. The new rules, if passed, could affect about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens. The measures were proposed by Italy's main union and left-wing opposition parties. Premier Giorgia Meloni showed up at the polls on Sunday evening but didn't cast a ballot - an action widely criticized by the left as antidemocratic, since it won't contribute to reaching the necessary threshold to make the vote valid. "While some members of her ruling coalition have openly called for abstention, Meloni has opted for a more subtle approach," said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Teneo consultancy based in London. 'It's yet another example of her trademark fence-sitting.'' Supporters say this reform would bring Italy's citizenship law in line with many other European countries, promoting greater social integration for long-term residents. It would also allow faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU. "The real drama is that neither people who will vote 'yes' nor those who intend to vote 'no' or abstain have an idea of what (an) ordeal children born from foreigners have to face in this country to obtain a residence permit,' said Selam Tesfaye, an activist and campaigner with the Milan-based human rights group Il Cantiere.
