They reportedly intended to launch kamikaze drones from the Afghan border towards targets in the country
© Getty Images / Getty Images / Tomas Ragina
Three suspected agents of Israel’s Mossad spy service have been arrested on the Iranian-Afghan border for allegedly attempting to carry out drone attacks, Iran’s IRNA state news agency reported on Sunday.
According to the outlet, three Iranian nationals identified as “Mossad agents” were captured in the mountainous areas between the two countries as a result of a joint operation by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the Taliban’s intelligence service.
The detainees were reportedly planning to launch suicide drones from the Afghan border against targets in eastern Iran. They are expected to be transferred to Iran for interrogation. No further details have been provided.
This comes a week after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel had “crossed the red lines,” referring to the situation in Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are “expanding ground operations” after days of relentless air and rocket attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals and refugee camps.
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The Gaza conflict escalated on October 7 when the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages, according to West Jerusalem officials. In response, the IDF launched airstrikes on the densely populated Palestinian enclave.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll since the beginning of the violent escalation is 9,488, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women. More than 24,000 people have been injured.
Mass protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have taken place in cities around the world. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that “calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,” and that “will not happen.” A few weeks ago, he declared that “Hamas is part of the evil axis of Iran, Hezbollah [Lebanese militant group] and their followers.”
