Tehran, Apr 21 (AP) Iranian intelligence officers arrested three people belonging to a group linked to Israel's Mossad agency and charged with involvement in releasing classified information, state TV reported on Thursday.

The report said they were arrested in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan province but didn't identify them or how they had access to classified information.

Also Read | Russia Successfully Test-Fires Sarmat Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

Iran and Israel have long accused each other of spying and waging a shadow war for years.

Israel views Iran as its greatest threat has repeatedly threatened to take military action against Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Also Read | New Government in Pakistan Can Give Push to Normalisation of Ties with India: Report.

Iran denies it is seeking such weapons and has vowed a harsh response to any aggression.

In January, Israel said it had broken up an Iranian spy ring that recruited Israeli women via social media to photograph sensitive sites, gather intelligence and encourage their sons to join Israeli military intelligence.

In July, Iran said it arrested members of an armed group linked to Mossad after they sneaked into Iran across its western border.

Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the United States and Israel.

In 2020, Iran executed a man convicted of leaking information to the US and Israel about a prominent Islamic Revolutionary Guard general who was later killed by a US drone strike in Iraq.

Iran does not recognise Israel and supports anti-Israeli armed groups across the region, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)