Israel Releases Names of Iran Officials Working against Tel Aviv in Syria

 Funeral of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards killed by Israeli missiles in Syria last March held in Tehran on April 4 (AFP).
Funeral of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards killed by Israeli missiles in Syria last March held in Tehran on April 4 (AFP).
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Israel Releases Names of Iran Officials Working against Tel Aviv in Syria

 Funeral of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards killed by Israeli missiles in Syria last March held in Tehran on April 4 (AFP).
Funeral of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards killed by Israeli missiles in Syria last March held in Tehran on April 4 (AFP).

Top military officials in Tel Aviv revealed on Monday details of an upcoming Israeli battle against Iran in Syria, where there are attempts to build an advanced Iran-made missile defense system that relies on Russia’s expertise in advanced missiles such as the S-300 and S-400.

Those who will activate the system include several generals and senior officers from the Revolutionary Guards.

Even though Israel has attacked and thwarted Iran’s primary attempts to anchor its forces in Syria, the Revolutionary Guards have yet to abandon their agenda for strengthening their presence in the Levantine nation, senior military officials told Hebrew media under the conditions of anonymity.

In recent years, the Revolutionary Guards has been trying to surround Israel with a belt of missile batteries that can withstand airstrikes and shoot down aircraft, which poses a strategic security threat to the Jewish state.

According to the Israeli officials, which included research and intelligence figures, ten senior Revolutionary Guards officials have been killed in Israeli operations so far.

The Israelis also disclosed the names of several Iranian and Hezbollah officials who are conducting operations on Syrian soil to alter the balance of power with Israel.

It was evident that the Israelis publishing these names and linking them to the names of killed leaders was a hint of a threat to their lives.

Ali Hassan Mahdavi, the head of the Syria and Lebanon division in the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations arm, was among the names listed by the officials and published by the Haaretz newspaper.

Mahdavi had replaced Javad Ravari, who was dismissed earlier over condescending and violent behavior against Syrian army officials.

Israeli officers claimed that Iran is planning to establish air defense networks not only in Syria, but also in Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon, aimed at other armies in Gulf countries and other countries in the region.



Iran's IRGC Detains Two Britons on Spying Charges

Traffic flows through a congested highway in Tehran on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic flows through a congested highway in Tehran on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Iran's IRGC Detains Two Britons on Spying Charges

Traffic flows through a congested highway in Tehran on January 18, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic flows through a congested highway in Tehran on January 18, 2025. (AFP)

Iranian authorities said Tuesday that a British couple, arrested last month by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the country’s southeast, have been charged with espionage and accused of links to Western intelligence services.

Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said Craig and Lindsay Foreman had entered Iran “posing as tourists” and gathered information before their arrest in Kerman province.

Jahangir also said the pair had been held by the IRGC “over espionage charges.”

The Foremans “had gathered information from several provinces” and were found to be “cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries,” the spokesman said, according to AFP.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, the Kerman judiciary chief Ebrahim Hamidi said the couple’s links to foreign intelligence services “has been confirmed.”

BBC said the couple, in their early 50s, were on a motorbike trip around the world when they were detained in January.

Social media posts show the duo crossed into Iran from Armenia in December and were gradually making their way toward Australia.

On Friday, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed that it was “providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran” and was in contact with Iranian authorities.

Last Saturday, the couple’s family said they were engaging with relevant authorities to ensure the pair's well-being and safe return home.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported last week that British Ambassador Hugo Shorter met with the couple at the Kerman prosecutor’s office.

The agency also published a photo of the meeting, with the couple’s faces blurred.

A statement issued by the British Foreign Office on their family's behalf said: “This unexpected turn of events has caused significant concern for our entire family, and we are deeply focused on ensuring their safety and wellbeing during this trying time.”

The family called it a “distressing situation,” adding: “We are actively engaging with the British government and relevant authorities, working diligently to navigate the complexities of this matter.”

The IRGC have arrested dozens of foreigners and dual nationals in recent years, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.

Human rights groups and some Western countries have accused Iran of trying to win concessions from other nations through arrests on security charges that may have been trumped up. Tehran denies such accusations.

In January 2023, Iran announced the execution of British-Iranian dual citizen Alireza Akbari, prompting outrage among Western governments including Britain, which called it “barbaric.”