Iran captured 700 “mercenaries” working for Israel during the 12 days of war between the regional foes, Iranian media has claimed, as Tehran intensifies a crackdown on what it has labelled “espionage and sabotage networks”.
The semi-official Fars news agency said the mercenaries were identified and detained based on public reports and intelligence operations. It came after Israel's military chief said commandos had operated secretly inside Iran during the conflict, with Israel's spy chief hailing assistance from US intelligence.
“We achieved full control over Iranian airspace and in every location where we chose to operate,” Israeli chief of staff Eyal Zamir said in a televised address on Wednesday. “This was made possible thanks to, among other things, co-ordination and tactical deception carried out by our air force and ground commando units.
“The forces operated in secret deep within enemy territory and created operational freedom of action for us.”
Fars said the mercenaries "mainly operated in the framework of espionage and sabotage networks". It said a number of “Mossad operatives” had also been arrested in Iran during the war. Authorities had confiscated “large amounts of explosives, remote controls and spying equipment”, added the news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Fars said arrests were made in Kermanshah, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Fars and Lorestan provinces.
Trump says US will hold talks with Iran next week
Several workshops producing suicide drones linked to Israeli intelligence had also been discovered, it claimed.
On Wednesday, Iran said it executed three men accused of spying for Israel. Tehran has in the past put to death many people convicted of having links with Mossad and enabling its operations. It has long accused Israeli intelligence of carrying out sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and assassinating its scientists.
But human rights groups have accused Iran of carrying out sham trials and issuing sentences for spying without credible evidence in an effort to crack down on dissent.
Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei has vowed swift trials for people captured on suspicion of collaborating with Israel.
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran was announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday after 12 days of intense and unprecedented aerial fighting. The truce appeared to be holding on Thursday.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Uefa Nations League: How it Works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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HAJJAN
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