Alleged Israeli spy network busted in Lebanon

Lebanese officials say they have uncovered an espionage network working for Israel.

“In the framework of pursuing operations to combat terrorism and espionage… the directorate of General Security arrested a spy network working for the Israeli enemy in the south (of Lebanon),” the security service said in a statement Sunday.

The statement said the three arrested were a Syrian man, his Lebanese wife, and a Lebanese man. The three were identified only by their initials.

There were no details on exactly when or where the three were detained.

A manhunt was reportedly underway for additional members of the purported network.

The statement said the three had confessed to the charges against them, admitting they had gathered information on individuals and security and military targets. The information was to be used to assassinate security officials, the Lebanese news site Naharnet said.

The three also allegedly filmed “sensitive” roads and other areas in southern Lebanon “and sent the footage to their employers to be used in later attacks.”

Reports of the capture of alleged Israeli spies are common in Lebanon, and a recurring theme in Lebanese media.

In late September, Lebanese soldiers released a video, which they claimed showed a rock concealing an Israeli spy camera in the country’s south.

One man was arrested in August by Hezbollah for spying for Israel, and was handed to Lebanese security services.

Last December, Hezbollah detained a senior party official on allegations of spying for Israel and “sabotaging security operations” abroad.

Between April 2009 and 2014, Lebanese authorities detained more than 100 people accused of spying for Israel, most of them army members or telecommunications employees.