After Israeli Attacks, Iran Hunts Enemies From Within
Ever since Israel's attack, the Iranian authorities have asked citizens to alert them to anyone carrying bags, wearing sunglasses at night or even donning hats — an uncommon accessory in Iran.
They have urged the public to report stolen license plates, pickup trucks with covered beds, or vans traveling at odd hours. All of these, they warn, could be the telltale signs of enemies operating from within.
Reeling from the scope and scale of the Israeli strikes this month, Iran is conducting an intensive manhunt for suspected infiltrators and spies, and enlisting the public in the campaign. As authorities have swept up hundreds of people, the government has sped up trials and executions of alleged spies, and fast-tracked a law to broaden the use of the death penalty for anyone convicted of espionage.
Given the scale of the arrest campaign even after this past week's cease-fire, some in Iran fear this could become another crackdown on political opponents by a government with a long history of repressing dissent.
'Like a wounded animal, the Islamic Republic is going after every perceived threat in the country with deadly force,' Hadi Ghaemi, the director for the Center for Human Rights in Iran, said in a statement on Thursday.
Iranian officials are not simply paranoid.
Israel has a history of successfully infiltrating Iran to gather intelligence and carry out assassinations and sabotage. Officials on both sides say that in the recent war, Israel flaunted its ability to build networks and launch widespread attacks from within Iran.
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