Iran Executes Ninth Alleged Israeli Spy in Ongoing Shadow War

Iran's state media announced on Wednesday the execution of a man accused of spying for Israel, the ninth such execution to be carried out in recent months. The individual, identified as Babak Shahbazi, was reportedly put to death after being convicted of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

The execution is the latest development in a long-running shadow war between the two nations, which has seen Iran systematically target and execute individuals it claims are linked to Israeli intelligence. The rate of these executions has seen a marked increase in the past year.

According to the state media report, Shahbazi was a contractor who installed cooling devices. He was accused of using his position to gather sensitive information from locations such as military and security centers and server rooms. The report also stated that Shahbazi worked with Esmaeil Fekri, another man executed in June on similar charges.

Shahbazi's lawyer had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, but it was ultimately rejected. The death sentence was then carried out, making him the ninth person executed by Iran in recent months on accusations of spying for Israel.