Beirut
BeirutiStock

Lebanon's military prosecution Monday charged an activist with "collaborating" with Israeli spies and illegally travelling to the Jewish state with which Beirut is still technically at war, state media said.

Kinda al-Khatib -- a female activist in her twenties -- has on Twitter criticized Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite terrorist organization which fought a devastating 2006 war with Israel.

Arrested last week, she was charged Monday with "collaborating with the enemy", "entering the occupied Palestinian territories" and "collaborating with spies of the Israeli enemy", the National News Agency said

Lebanon bans its nationals from travelling to Israel, a neighbor with which it remains at war although a UN peacekeeping force patrols the border.

Khatib's family and activists protested in front of the military court in Beirut against what they termed a "political" arrest "because of her tweets against those in power", NNA said.

Lebanese media and activists have drawn a parallel between Khatib's case and that of actor Ziad Itani, who was also accused of "collaborating" with Israel in 2017.

Itani was declared innocent and released several months later, and a high-ranking security officer was then charged with "fabricating" the case.

Hezbollah is the only party not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, since when it has also become a major player in Lebanese politics.