Lebanon: 32 people arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel
A judicial official confirmed the arrest of 32 people in Lebanon on suspicion of spying on Hezbollah while in cahoots with Israel, reported The New Arab via AFP on October 9th.
Tensions have been rising between Israel and Hezbollah for over a year. Despite the November truce, in September 2024, Hezbollah’s communication systems were strategically tampered with and destroyed. Hundreds of Hezbollah pagers and walk-talkies were reported to have exploded in an Israeli operation, with 39 people killed and thousands wounded. A week later, Israel assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike.
Since the ceasefire, Israel continues to take the stance of deliberately targeting Hezbollah sites or operatives. With no formal ties with Israel, any contact with the State is punishable with imprisonment.
An anonymous official stated that, “at least 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, six of them before the ceasefire,” reports The New Arab. Nine of the arrested individuals have been tried in the military court, while the rest are under investigation.
According to a second judicial official, the convicted individuals were charged based on having provided “the enemy with coordinates, addresses, and names of Hezbollah officials knowing that the enemy would use this information to bomb locations where the group’s officials and leaders were located.” Convicted individuals could face a prison sentence of up to 25 years.
Among the convicted is a religious singer who is accused of having collaborated with Israel’s Mossad spy agency. The second judicial official claims the singer supplied Israel with details and information, including coordinates, concerning Hezbollah officials that led to the death of an official and his son in an Israeli strike in South Beirut in April. The convicted also shared the names of newly appointed leaders, which further aided Israel in their assassination plans.
Several arrests have been made over the years in Lebanon on suspicion of collaborating with Israel.
The New Arab via AFP, Maghrebi.org
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