Iran arrests 3 accused of links to Israel's Mossad

Iranian intelligence officers arrested three people belonging to a group linked to Israel's Mossad agency and charged with involvement in releasing classified information, state TV reported Thursday.

The report said they were arrested in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan province but didn't identify them or how they had access to classified information.

Iran and Israel have long accused each other of spying and waging a shadow war for years. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat has repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is seeking such weapons and has vowed a harsh response to any aggression.

In January, Israel said it had broken up an Iranian spy ring that recruited Israeli women via social media to photograph sensitive sites, gather intelligence and encourage their sons to join Israeli military intelligence.

In July, Iran said it arrested members of an armed group linked to Mossad after they sneaked into Iran across its western border.

Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel.

In 2020, Iran executed a man convicted of leaking information to the U.S. and Israel about a prominent Islamic Revolutionary Guard general who was later killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq.

Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli armed groups across the region, such as Hizbullah and Hamas.