Portraits of the former secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and of former head of the party's executive council, Hashem Safieddine, held up by residents of Beirut's southern suburbs on the first day of the truce, on Nov. 27, 2024. (Archive photo: Mohammad Yassin/L’Orient Today)
Two people suspected of spying for Israel were arrested in southern Lebanon at the start of the week, a source from General Security confirmed to L’Orient-Le Jour. Local media had described the two suspects as "foreigners." The General Security source declined to provide further details, stressing that "the investigation is ongoing."
This information follows the confirmed arrest by General Security at the beginning of February of the suspect, A.M., originally from Ansar (Nabatieh). His family, as well as the municipal government of his village, disavowed him and called on the justice system to follow its course, after the announcement of his arrest this weekend. In a statement, the family announced that it had "disavowed" the suspect "after the allegations against him."
"We strongly condemn his shameful act, which damages the village and the country," the statement added, calling for "the harshest penalties." The family said it would become a civil party in the courts.
The Ansar municipality also made it known that it was following the case and emphasized that it "categorically rejects any form of contact or relationship with the Israeli enemy, under any circumstances."
In October, Lebanese authorities announced that they had arrested 32 people who were convicted or suspected of having transmitted information to Israel targeting Hezbollah leaders, AFP reported, citing a judicial source.
The war in autumn 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah highlighted major security breaches within the pro-Iran Shiite group, with several members acknowledging that the Israeli army had succeeded in infiltrating the party and its popular base. The killings of party members have continued almost daily since a cease-fire went into effect at the end of November 2024, fueling paranoia within the party’s base.
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