The departure hall at Beirut International Airport. (Credit : AFP)
Lebanese authorities have arrested a Russian national suspected of spying on the Iran-backed Hezbollah group on behalf of Israel, a security official told AFP Monday.
Hezbollah told Lebanese security forces that a Russian citizen "was recruited by the Israelis for a reconnaissance mission of their headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut and south Lebanon," the official told AFP.
Security forces arrested him approximately two weeks ago at Beirut airport while he was trying to flee with his wife and child, the official said. It came after Hezbollah told security forces that the suspect had tried to break into an apartment in Beirut's southern suburb, a stronghold for the group.
Following his arrest, the alleged spy was interrogated by General Security and then referred to military prosecutors who are now in charge of the investigation.
On Friday, the interim chief of Lebanon's General Security agency Elias al-Baysari said authorities had arrested "a two-person network with ties to the enemy [Israel] at Beirut airport, and who were tasked to carry out operations" in Lebanon.
"We interrogated them and referred them to the competent military judiciary," he added, without providing details on the nationality of the detained.
On Saturday, the Russian embassy in Beirut said it was "aware" of the arrests and "taking the necessary steps to clarify the details of the circumstances," according to state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Lebanon technically remains at war with Israel and forbids citizens from having any contact with Israel or traveling there. Israel and Hezbollah fought a 33-day war in Lebanon in 2006.
The number of people arrested for allegedly collaborating with Israel has significantly jumped since the country's economy collapsed in late 2019, security officials had previously told AFP.
On March 27, a Lebanese man was arrested in Aramoun on suspicion of spying for Israel. On April 11, the Lebanese Army announced the arrest of another Lebanese suspected of being an "agent in the service of a foreign entity" and suspected of having prepared explosive devices with the help of the first defendant.
On Dec. 7, 2022, two security sources told AFP that Lebanon had arrested 185 people suspected of collaborating with Israel since the economic collapse of 2019. These suspects were mainly military and telecommunications employees.
Hezbollah told Lebanese security forces that a Russian citizen "was recruited by the Israelis for a reconnaissance mission of their headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut and south...