By Atoyebi Nike
Iran’s judiciary has confirmed the execution of a man convicted of espionage for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, as tensions between the two rival nations intensify with deadly cross-border attacks.
According to an official report by Mizan Online, the judiciary’s news outlet, Esmaeil Fekri was executed on Monday after being found guilty of serious charges, including “corruption on Earth” and “moharebeh” an Islamic legal term meaning “waging war against God.”
The sentence was carried out following the completion of all judicial processes and was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, the report noted.
Fekri’s execution comes as both nations exchange accusations of espionage and military aggression. Iranian authorities had announced just a day earlier that two individuals suspected of working with Mossad were arrested in Alborz province, near Tehran. In a mirrored development, Israeli officials also revealed on Sunday that two of their nationals were taken into custody for allegedly collaborating with Iranian intelligence.
The backdrop to these arrests and the execution is a dramatic escalation in hostilities. Last Friday, Israel launched a surprise military operation, claiming to target Iranian nuclear and defense infrastructure. The attack reportedly killed at least 224 individuals in Iran, including senior military officers, scientists, and civilians.
In response, Iran unleashed a volley of drones and missile strikes into Israeli territory, resulting in at least 24 fatalities, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.
The decades-long enmity between the two nations marked by espionage, sabotage, and proxy wars has reached a critical point, with both sides trading deadly blows. Iran has consistently accused Israel of sabotaging its nuclear program and orchestrating assassinations of its key scientific personnel.
PHOTO CREDIT: REUTERS
