Lebanese authorities have arrested a Russian citizen who is suspected of spying for Israel on its territory. The Russian national is suspected of spying for the Iran-backed Hezbollah group which is a sworn enemy of Israel.
As reported AFPTuesday (29/8/2023), a Lebanese security official told AFP that Hezbollah informed the country’s security forces that a Russian citizen was ‘directed by Israel for a reconnaissance mission at their headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon’.
Lebanese security forces, the official said, arrested the Russian national about two weeks ago at Beirut airport, when he was trying to escape with his wife and child. The identity of the Russian national who was arrested was not disclosed to the public.
The arrests were made after Hezbollah alerted Lebanese security forces to a suspect who had tried to break into an apartment in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is the group’s base.
After being arrested, the Russian citizen was interrogated at the public security department, before being handed over to the military prosecutor who is now in charge of investigating this case.
On Friday (25/8) local time, the interim head of the Lebanese Public Security Agency Elias al-Baysari said that local authorities had arrested “a network of two individuals with ties to the enemy (Israel) at Beirut airport, and who were tasked with carrying out the operation.” ‘ in Lebanon.
“We interrogated them and referred them to a competent military court,” said Baysari, without providing detailed information about the nationalities of those arrested.
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