TEHRAN – Iranian intelligence forces have dismantled a terrorist cell in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, killing six of its members and arresting two others during a major counterterrorism operation.

The provincial General Directorate of Intelligence announced on Saturday that its forces intercepted the terror group after the militants crossed into Iran from the eastern border in recent days. Security forces tracked and identified them before they could carry out their mission.

According to the statement, the cell was comprised of seven non-Iranian operatives armed with laser-guided RPG-7 launchers, U.S.-made M4 and M16 assault rifles, hand grenades, grenade launchers, explosive vests, handheld radios, and a significant cache of RPG anti-personnel rounds. Several vehicles and motorcycles were also seized.

A heavy, hours-long firefight ensued, leaving six terrorists dead and two captured alive. Two Iranian intelligence officers and one policeman were injured. Officials said the group had been planning to target a “critical facility” in eastern Iran, using training methods and mock-up models resembling tactics associated with Israel’s Mossad.

Five policemen killed in terrorist attack in Sistan and Baluchestan

The crackdown comes amid a surge in terrorist violence in the province. On Friday, five members of Iran’s law enforcement forces were killed when armed assailants ambushed two police patrol units along the Khash–Iranshahr road. The attackers opened fire before fleeing the scene.

The victims were later identified as Captain Gholamreza Vahdani, Mohammadreza Rahimi, Mohammad Noruzi, Hassan Tavala, and Hadi Royaie, a soldier.

The so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group quickly claimed responsibility for the ambush. Security forces have since launched a manhunt to track down those involved.

Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, condemned the attacks in letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Security Council President Eloy Alfaro de Alba. He urged the UN and the Security Council to denounce the incidents “in the strongest terms possible,” warning that double standards or selective condemnation of terrorism would only undermine the Council’s credibility.

Jaish al-Adl, which has carried out numerous deadly operations in recent years, primarily in Sistan and Baluchestan, also said it was behind a shooting incident in Iranshahr County last week that killed one police officer.

The province, which shares a long and porous border with Pakistan, has been a frequent target of terrorism. Iranian officials have repeatedly declared that foreign intelligence services including Mossad are supporting the groups behind such attacks.

Last October, ten Iranian law enforcement officers were killed in one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years, when terrorists struck in Gohar Kuh district of Taftan County. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for that assault as well.