Iran’s security forces have identified and arrested members of four Mossad-affiliated operational teams, according to a statement disclosed by Tehran’s Intelligence Ministry on 22 December.

The statement elaborated on how the Israeli intelligence agency planned to exploit Iran’s current instability in recent weeks, which began due to nationwide riots instigated by the alleged murder of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s Gasht-e-Ershad, also known as the morality police.

The Intelligence Ministry further added that it obtained “clues” about a Mossad ringleader based in Europe, disclosing that information regarding the investigation will be revealed upon completion.

A few days prior, in a similar incident, the Intelligence Ministry of Iran disclosed that it arrested several members of the Mossad group who were allegedly planning to sabotage Tehran’s defense industry.

On 5 December, Iranian authorities executed four people accused of working for the Mossad, while three collaborators received lengthy prison sentences.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the individuals connected to the Israeli intelligence agency had criminal records and were also accused of receiving cryptocurrency payments to purchase weapons.

Iran’s intelligence chief has previously claimed that Tel Aviv’s operatives attempt to funnel weapons into Iran to carry out assassination operations, adding that during the recent presidential elections, “Zionist forces” had intended to sabotage Iran’s security sector in different parts of the country.

In November, Colonel Davoud Jafari, a senior official of the IRGC, was assassinated in Syria; Tehran holds Israel accountable.

Tehran claims Tel Aviv has essentially waged war “from the shadows.”

The Iranian secret service was able to fend off several attempts of sabotage against the Islamic Republic. However, many foreign operations successfully targeted scientists, military commanders, and public figures.

In response to the successful Israeli sabotage attempts, the spokesman for the IRGC, General Ramezan Sharif, announced that General Mohammad Kazemi would assume the role as the head of the IRGC Intelligence earlier this year due to his experience in the intelligence field.