Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel

DUBAI — Iran executed a man accused of spying for Israel, the Iranian judiciary's media outlet Mizan reported on Wednesday (Jan 7), naming the defendant as Ali Ardestani.

Entangled in a decades-long shadow war with Israel, Iran has executed many people it has accused of having links with Israel's intelligence service and facilitating its operations in the country.

"The death sentence of Ali Ardestani for the crime of espionage in favour of the Mossad intelligence service by providing the country's sensitive information was carried out after approval by the Supreme Court and through legal procedures," Mizan said.

Executions of Iranians convicted of spying for Israel have significantly increased this year, following a direct confrontation between the two regional enemies in June, when Israeli and US forces struck Iran's nuclear facilities.

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