Iran arrests 26 for ‘acts of sabotage' in helping Israel war
Iran's intelligence services have arrested 26 people, accusing them of collaborating with Israel, state media Fars news agency reported, days after a ceasefire between the two countries was announced.
'These individuals were identified as operatives and deceived participants in the recent imposed war by the Zionist regime have been arrested by the Intelligence Organisation of the Hazrat Vali Asr Corps,' Iranian state media Fars news agency said on Wednesday.
'Most of them have confessed to their actions, including anti-security activities, spreading public anxiety, and acts of sabotage,' it added, citing a statement by the organisation.
The arrest came after Israel's military chief said on Wednesday that its commandos had operated secretly inside Iran during the countries' 12-day war, as its spy chief also hailed assistance from US intelligence.
'We achieved full control over Iranian airspace and in every location where we chose to operate,' Israeli chief of staff Eyal Zamir had said in a televised address.
'This was made possible thanks to, among other things, coordination and tactical deception carried out by our air force and ground commando units,' he added.
'The forces operated in secret deep within enemy territory and created operational freedom of action for us.'
Iran said on Wednesday that it executed three men accused of spying for Israel.
Tehran regularly announces the arrest and execution of agents suspected of working for foreign intelligence services, including its arch-foe Israel.
Both countries have claimed victory in the conflict since a ceasefire went into effect on Tuesday.
China hosted defence ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on Thursday against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of NATO countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending.
Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science.
The Qingdao meeting of the organisation's top defence officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds.
Kin Cheung/Pool/Getty Images
It is also being held the day after a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defence spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump.
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun framed Thursday's meeting of officials in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to a world in 'chaos and instability'.
'As momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,' Dong said as he welcomed defence chiefs from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and elsewhere on Wednesday, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order.
Dong Jun
He urged his counterparts to 'take more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development'.
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also in attendance in Qingdao, said SCO members should 'collectively aspire to fulfil the aspirations and expectations of our people as well as tackle today's challenges'.
'The world we live in is undergoing a drastic transformation. Globalisation, which once brought us closer together, has been losing momentum,' he said in comments posted by his office on X.
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