Iran Arrests Alleged Mossad Operatives, Issues Warning to Israelis as Conflict with Israel Escalates
“Warnings for you in the coming days: Leave the occupied territories, because, certainly, they won’t be inhabitable in the future,” al-Mahdi said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iranian authorities have arrested two individuals suspected of working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in separate operations that led to the seizure of significant quantities of explosives and military equipment, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.
Sa’eed Montazer al-Mahdi, spokesperson for the Police Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated on Monday that the arrests took place in Fashafuyeh, a district in Ray County, south of Tehran. Police confiscated more than 200 kilograms of explosives, components for 23 drones, launch systems, and other military-grade equipment. A Nissan pickup truck allegedly used by the operatives was also impounded, IRNA reported.
In a separate development, Colonel Reza Sayyad, spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces, warned Israeli civilians to evacuate the "Israeli-occupied territories", saying Iranian strikes would target the entire region. “Warnings for you in the coming days: Leave the occupied territories, because, certainly, they won’t be inhabitable in the future,” he said in remarks carried by IRNA following a new wave of Iranian missile attacks against Israel.
Colonel Sayyad stated that Iran's Armed Forces had already struck multiple strategic targets in Israel and possessed a comprehensive database of additional high-value sites, including military and intelligence centers, political decision-making hubs, and the homes of Israeli military leaders and scientists. “Taking shelter underground will not ensure your safety,” he warned. “Do not allow the criminal regime to use you as human shields.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Border Guards announced that 44 Israeli drones and quadcopters were intercepted and destroyed in Iranian border regions over the past 48 hours. Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, commander of the Border Guards, said the attempted intrusions were detected and neutralized thanks to the vigilance of Iranian border forces.
“Our zealous border guards remain fully alert and have issued stern warnings to all hostile entities—terrorist groups, armed factions, and smugglers—that any threat to Iran’s border security will be met with decisive force,” General Goudarzi said, according to IRNA.
He emphasized that all of Iran’s frontiers are under constant surveillance and any attempt to breach the country’s territorial integrity would be dealt with immediately.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have sharply intensified in recent days, with both countries engaging in direct military strikes—a dramatic shift from traditional reliance on proxies and covert operations.
Iran and Israel have entered a fourth consecutive day of direct military confrontation, trading intense missile and airstrikes that continue to inflict significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction. On Monday, Iran launched a fresh barrage of over 100 ballistic missiles and drones targeting Israeli cities—including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Petah Tikva—resulting in at least eight deaths and dozens injured after some projectiles penetrated Iron Dome defenses.
In response, Israel intensified air assaults deep into Iran, striking strategic military and nuclear sites, among them command centers of the Revolutionary Guard and key facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. The escalation marks the most overt and sustained direct engagement ever between the two nations, prompting urgent diplomatic interventions, air-raid alarms in civilian areas, temporary U.S. embassy closures, and emergency meetings by the EU and G7.
