Iran arrests five alleged Mossad agents, accusing them of ‘tarnishing’ country’s image online

Iranian news agencies report five suspected agents of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency were detained on charges of tarnishing the country’s image online.

“These mercenaries sought to sow fear among the public and tarnish the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran through their calculated activities online,” the Tasnim and ISNA news agencies quote a statement from the Revolutionary Guards as saying.

They add that the arrests had been made in the western province of Lorestan.

Iran announced on Friday that it was placing temporary restrictions on the internet for the duration of the conflict. Numerous sites and apps have since been at least partially inaccessible.

Iran frequently arrests people and accuses them, without evidence, of spying for Israel.