The Iranian Ministry of Defense announced that it had thwarted an attempt to "sabotage" its missile program, behind which a network linked to Israel was located, and arrested a number of those involved, according to the official media on Thursday.

The IRNA news agency described the attempt as "the largest industrial sabotage operation targeting the missile and space industries of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support," quoting an unnamed ministry official.

"In recent months, a completely professional network, in cooperation with some hackers, planned to introduce defective parts into the advanced missile production ring of the Missile Industries of the Ministry of Defense," this official added.

It explained, "This network sought, under direct guidance from the (Israeli foreign intelligence) Mossad, to convert the missiles produced by selling the equipped parts into explosive devices to strike industrial lines and employees working in this field," stressing "the arrest of the elements of this sabotage network and the neutralization of its operations." , without providing additional details.

The official pointed out that the intelligence operation "is the most complex in recent years, and the Zionist entity suffered a complete failure by thwarting its plan."

The agency quoted Deputy Defense Minister Mehdi Riahi as saying that members of the network tried to "plant explosives" in the missiles so that they would "explode at a specific time and place."

The Islamic Republic accused its archenemies Israel and the United States of being behind a series of attempts to sabotage its nuclear and missile programs over the past years. Likewise, it accuses it of being responsible for the assassinations and attempts to assassinate scientists and experts involved in such programs that raise the concern of Western countries.

In January, Iran accused the Hebrew state of being behind an attempt to target a Ministry of Defense facility in Isfahan province, in the center of the country.

For its part, the United States and Israel accuse Iran of using its production of missiles and drones to target American forces and commercial ships linked to Israel in the Gulf waters and countries in the region.