Iran arrests dozens accused of spying for Israel in new internal crackdown

16 Mar 2026 By foxnews

Iranian authorities say they have arrested dozens of people accused of spying for Israel across several provinces, according to state media reports over the weekend.

Fars, a news agency affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported Sunday the West Azerbaijan prosecutor's office had arrested 20 individuals in the northwestern city of Urmia for allegedly providing Israel with information about military, police and security sites.

On Saturday, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence said it had arrested several "enemy operatives" across the country, including a 10-member group in Mazandaran province and another 10-member network in Khorasan Razavi province, according to Tasnim, a semi-official news agency.

Authorities said the suspects transferred the locations of military installations and economic infrastructure and shared coordinates of public places, academic institutions and research centers with Israel.

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In southern Khuzestan province, intelligence officials also reported arresting a three-person "terrorist team" accused of carrying out armed attacks against security forces and government facilities.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Israel has relied on tips from ordinary Iranians to identify targets for strikes inside Iran, citing a senior Israeli security official.

The newspaper said information about potential targets is sent through Israeli Persian-language social media accounts and is verified by Israeli authorities before strikes are carried out.

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In a separate development, Bahraini authorities said Sunday they arrested five people accused of passing sensitive information to the IRGC and helping recruit operatives for potential attacks inside the country.

According to a statement from Bahrain's Police Media Center, the suspects allegedly collected and transmitted coordinates and images of sensitive locations, including hotels, to the IRGC.

IRANIAN REGIME SPREADING ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA ACROSS DOZENS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: REPORT

Officials said one suspect previously received training at IRGC camps in "trafficking persons and recruiting operatives to participate in implementing terrorist plots."

The five detainees were referred to Bahrain's Public Prosecution, while a sixth suspect identified in the case is believed to be a fugitive abroad.