"Khamenei's position is surely weakened," Arash Azizi, who unveiled an alleged plot against the supreme leader, told Newsweek.

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.

Israel persists in its war efforts in Gaza amid a 12-day conflict with Iran, following an 11-week aid blockade. The Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reports that over an estimated 600 men, women, and children waiting for food at their aid distribution sites have been killed, according to the Gaza Strip's Ministry of Health.