Iran kills six militants linked to Israel after deadly police attack

Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in the country’s southeast on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers, the official news agency IRNA reported.

IRNA said evidence suggested the group had ties to Israel and may have received training from the Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate response from Israel to the allegation.

Authorities also arrested two other members of the group. All but one of the militants were foreign, though their nationalities were not disclosed.

Iranian police said this month that they had detained up to 21,000 suspects during the 12-day conflict with Israel in June.

Southeastern Iran has seen repeated clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists demanding greater rights and autonomy.

Tehran says some of these groups maintain foreign connections and engage in cross-border smuggling and insurgency, with evidence pointing to Israeli involvement in training.