Israel-Lebanon border
Israel-Lebanon borderHadas Parush/Flash90

The man arrested by Lebanese authorities after sneaking across the border from Israel into Lebanon is an American citizen, the Lebanese government claimed Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television channel reported that the Lebanese military had captured the person who infiltrated into Lebanon from Israel.

Israeli military officials revealed Tuesday that a breach in the security fence on the Israel-Lebanon border had been discovered, hinting at a likely infiltration from Israel into Lebanon.

The Lebanese military has identified the suspect taken into custody as Colin Emery, an American citizen.

Lebanon claims Emery was found in the city of Tyre, on the southern coast.

“After continuous search operations by the army, a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate managed today to arrest the U.S. citizen Colin Emery after finding him hiding in one of Tyre's neighborhoods,” the Lebanese military said in a statement Thursday.

Naharnet, a Lebanese-based news outlet, cited local media reports which claimed Emery is a “Jewish American”.

Emery was allegedly crossing into Lebanon while wearing an Israeli military uniform, Arab media outlets claimed. Emery was spotted carrying a box filled with Hebrew identification papers, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International reported.