Iranian authorities have arrested more than 700 people and executed six others in a nationwide espionage crackdown during the 12-day war with Israel, human rights groups said.

The arrests have raised fears that a new wave of repression is coming, as the government seeks to root out spy networks and clamp down on any dissent.

In the wake of Israel’s attacks, Iran has brought in new laws, issued a surge of death penalties on the spot and arrested people for ‘suspicious movement’ to control society, suppress dissent, and escape its own crisis of legitimacy,