Iran has executed four individuals reportedly linked to an Israeli bomb plot targeting a weapons factory.

This development follows a recent drone strike by Iran-backed forces in Syria that resulted in the death of three US troops, intensifying concerns about a potential third world war.

The executed men were allegedly planning to attack a defense ministry factory involved in missile and defense equipment in Isfahan, as reported by the IRNA news agency.

According to the reports, the operation, orchestrated by Israel’s Mossad Agency, was intended to take place in 2022.

The four individuals had purportedly received training from the Israeli intelligence agency in an African country before entering Iran through the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the U.S. Sun reported.

Iranian intelligence is said to have thwarted the plot.

The execution of the four men took place on Monday after the Supreme Court dismissed their appeals, as conveyed by Iranian state media.

The method of execution was not specified, but in Iran, it typically involves hanging.

Written by B.C. Begley