22 people arrested in Iran on charges of "espionage for Israel" in Qom province since outbreak of war

Iranian police in Qom province announced Saturday the arrest of 22 people on charges of "espionage for Israel" during the eight days of war with the Jewish state, Fars News Agency reported.

The agency, citing the head of police intelligence in the central Iranian province, stated that since the start of the Israeli strikes on June 13, "22 people have been identified and arrested on charges of links to the Zionist entity's espionage services and disrupting public opinion."

Iran announced on Thursday the arrest of 24 people on charges of spying for Israel and working to distort the country's image, according to a statement carried by Tasnim News Agency.

"Twenty-four individuals who were spying for the Zionist enemy, both in person and online, were arrested," West Tehran Police Chief Kioumars Azizi said in a statement. "They were trying to destabilize public opinion and distort and destroy the image of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Tasnim News Agency also reported on Friday that a European citizen was arrested in Iran, allegedly a "spy" for Israel, without specifying his identity or the date of his arrest.