TEHRAN, March 15 — Iranian authorities have arrested at least 20 people in the country’s north-west on suspicion of cooperating with Israel, local media reported today, more than two weeks into the Middle East war.

The arrests took place during raids on networks linked to Israel in the West Azerbaijan province, the Fars news agency said, quoting provincial prosecutor Hossein Majidi.

“Twenty people were arrested and detained” after they were found to be “sending details of military, law enforcement and security locations to the Zionist enemy”, it added.

Authorities have carried out sweeping raids across Iran, arresting in recent days hundreds of people suspected of cooperating with Israel and the United States, local media reported.

The conflict began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking Iranian retaliation. — AFP