Supporters of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah attend a commemorative ceremony honoring Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Beirut's southern suburbs, July 8, 2026. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanese authorities have arrested a man close to Hezbollah, accusing him of spying for Israel and of providing intel that led to the killing of commanders in the Iran-backed group, a judicial official told AFP on Tuesday.
The official, who is following the investigation and requested anonymity, said "a high-level Israeli agent was arrested last week in Beirut."
He alleged that the suspect had been "involved in providing the Israeli side with precise information that led to the assassination of Hezbollah officials, including four top-tier security leaders."
"He was very close to commanders in Hezbollah, and possessed a wide range of information due to his relationship with them," the official added.
According to the official, the man was detained last week in Beirut's airport as he prepared to board a flight to Iraq.
The detainee hails from southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway, and has made several trips to Iraq, where his wife is from.
From there, according to the same official, he used to go to Turkey "to meet with officers and agents linked to the Israeli Mossad, and provide them with information about targets he was gathering data about in Beirut."
The official did not specify the identity of the Hezbollah leaders targeted by Israel nor the date of their deaths.
Scores of the group's senior commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes since Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip in 2023, and again when it re-fired at Israel at the beginning of March.
This includes former leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed by Israel in a major strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 2024.
Lebanon and Israel have officially been at war for decades, and Lebanese security services have arrested dozens of people on suspicion of working for Israel, many of whom were recruited online following the country's economic collapse beginning in 2019.
In October a judicial source told AFP that more than 30 people had been arrested on suspicion of providing Israel with precise information on Hezbollah facilities and the movements of its members during its previous war with Israel in 2023 and 2024.
People convicted of working for Israel have been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison in the past.
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