Tehran, June 19 -- Eighteen people who worked on the design and assembly of spy and kamikaze drones for Israel have been detained in the city of Mashhad in the northeastern Iranian province of Razavi Khorasan, Iranian news agency Mehr reported on Thursday.

At the same time, the ISNA news agency reported that Iranian intelligence neutralised an organised group of saboteurs working for Israel in the southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province.

The saboteurs planned to distribute weapons and propaganda leaflets in various Iranian cities, the report added.

Israel launched a large-scale operation against Iran in the early hours on June 13, accusing it of implementing a secret military nuclear program. The Israeli air force carried out se...