A judicial source said on Tuesday that Lebanese security forces have taken a man with close ties to Hezbollah into custody, alleging that he conducted intelligence operations for Israel that enabled precision strikes killing key commanders of the Iran-backed terrorist organization, AFP reported.
Requesting anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the probe, the official told the news agency that “a high-level Israeli agent was arrested last week in Beirut".
Investigators claim the detainee directly assisted Israeli intelligence by providing actionable targeting data. According to the judicial source, the suspect was “involved in providing the Israeli side with precise information that led to the assassination of Hezbollah officials, including four top-tier security leaders".
His proximity to the group's inner circle was crucial to the operation.
“He was very close to commanders in Hezbollah, and possessed a wide range of information due to his relationship with them," the official told AFP.
Law enforcement intercepted the suspect last week at Beirut’s international airport as he was preparing to board a departure flight bound for Iraq.
The suspect allegedly made frequent journeys to Iraq, where his wife resides. Lebanese investigators believe those trips served as transit stops. From Iraq, the source noted, the suspect regularly traveled 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".
Lebanon frequently carries out counter-espionage operations. Dozens of individuals have been apprehended in recent years under suspicion of collaborating with Israeli intelligence, with recruitment often taking place online amid the severe financial crisis that has gripped Lebanon since 2019.
A separate judicial source previously revealed in October that over 30 individuals had been detained for allegedly furnishing Israel with targeting coordinates for Hezbollah assets and personnel movements during the 2023-2024 conflict.
Under Lebanese law, treason convictions for spying on behalf of Israel can carry prison sentences reaching up to 25 years.
In February, Lebanese security officials said that since September 2024, 41 individuals have been arrested on suspicion of working and spying for Israel.