Assalamu Alaikum - Iran Executes Man Accused of Spying for Israel; plus assorted news round-up
Assalamu alaikum - a quick, plain update on a serious story and some other headlines. I’ll keep it simple.
Main story
Iran has executed a man found guilty of passing secret information to Israel, the latest in a series of death sentences since the short but intense air clash in June. Officials say he admitted to working with Mossad and sharing confidential material online, allegedly first making contact in October 2023 and being detained in early 2024. He was hanged on Saturday in the holy city of Qom after Iran’s supreme court upheld the sentence and a pardon request was turned down, according to judiciary reports.
Rights groups point out Iran has carried out several executions of people accused of spying since that June conflict, when Israel struck nuclear-related sites and targeted senior military figures and scientists. Tehran says many executed were agents of hostile intelligence services involved in sabotage or terrorist acts; human rights organisations counter that many cases rely on coerced confessions and closed trials.
Related security notes
- Authorities say six men were executed this month after being convicted of conducting attacks on behalf of Israel; officials described them as linked to Israeli intelligence.
- A man labelled by Iranian media as a top Israeli spy was also recently executed, and another suspect was put to death for allegedly sharing details about a nuclear scientist killed during the June events.
- Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that at least four tribal leaders were killed in an attack in the south-east, which it blamed on mercenary groups it says are affiliated with Israel. Iran frequently accuses militant groups in that region of ties to foreign intelligence and designates some as terrorist organisations.
Context
Amnesty International and other groups say Iran is one of the world’s top users of the death penalty after China. Tehran insists its actions are about national security and countering hostile foreign plots.
Other items from around the region and beyond
- UEFA Champions League quarter-final (first leg): Juventus 1–1 Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm UAE; broadcast on BeIN Sports.
- Company spotlight: Abwaab Technologies - Founded September 2019 in Amman, Jordan. Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa (co-founder & CEO), Hussein Alsarabi (co-founder & CTO). Team ~65, 25 full-time. Early-stage edtech; investors include Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund and others.
- Opinion/voices: pieces on women in climate action, gender equality in Middle East companies, fair compensation for housework, and reflections on International Women’s Day.
- Cars/gadgets brief: engine and performance figures for several models (examples: 2.0-litre turbo 261hp, 2.7-litre turbo 325hp, 3.0-litre V6 335hp), pricing from Dh117,059 to Dh189,700 and higher.
- Feature stories: a soil-less farming initiative helping rural Jordanian communities; an essay urging global attention after Venice floods; Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan’s land art on water scarcity in Al Ula.
- Finance/highlights: plans to double healthcare spending to 2.2 trillion rupees, a 641-billion-rupee federal health scheme, 200 billion for bank recapitalisation, 1.75 trillion for privatisation and stake sales. Notes on Indians in the UAE: over 2.2 million Indian tourists visited in 2023, more than 3.5 million Indians reside in the UAE, and some UPI/rupee payment links are being enabled.
- People and culture: short mentions of film and TV castings, book and game ratings, and a personal line - “How our nine-month-old has made the Canadian winter a little bit warmer for us.”
- Business tips (from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna): have a solid, innovative concept; differentiate from competitors; set up a business continuity plan post-Covid; prepare for worst-case scenarios and keep sufficient cash for 12–18 months; be creative to cut costs and see Covid as an opportunity.
May Allah protect the innocent and grant justice. If you want more detail on any of the items above, let me know and I’ll share what I can.
https://www.thenationalnews.co