Hundreds of Jewish families from the Lev Tahor ultra-Orthodox sect were prevented from fleeing to Iran, where they had requested refuge.

"Israel and the US are working to prevent members of an extremist ultra-Orthodox sect from moving to Iran, amid fears they could be used as a bargaining chip by Tehran," the Times of Israel said.

According to the report, documents filed in a US federal court in 2019 stated that Hasidic leaders applied for asylum in Iran and swore allegiance to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to the Ynet news website, concerns were growing that hundreds of members of the organization, primarily located in Guatemala, may be attempting to flee to Iran after dozens of families were observed at Guatemala's airport, allegedly on their way to the Kurdistan-Iran border.

According to the article, their relatives contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Justice Department, requesting that they contact their Guatemalan colleagues immediately to prevent the families from fleeing.

According to reports, Guatemalan officials apprehended several members of the group who are nationals of the United States.

"The Shalit deal will look like child's play next to this," the family claimed, alluding to Israel's 2011 prisoner swap with Hamas, in which 1,027 Palestinian detainees were released in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit.