Lebanon arrests 32 suspected Hezbollah informants aiding Israeli strikes

Lebanese authorities have arrested 32 individuals in recent months on suspicion of providing intelligence to Israel, which facilitated targeted strikes against Hezbollah, a judicial official told AFP.

According to a judicial official who requested anonymity, “at least 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, six of them before the ceasefire,” Al Arabiya reports.

More than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of open war saw Israel pummel the group’s arsenal and commanders, and it has kept up strikes since a November truce.

Another source close to the investigations revealed that some detainees confessed during initial questioning to supplying Israel with critical information during the fighting in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut — areas known as Hezbollah strongholds.

Among the most notable detainees is a religious singer reportedly close to Hezbollah, identified by sources as Mohammad Saleh. The singer is accused of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency in exchange for $23,000. According to the judicial source, Saleh’s brother was killed in an Israeli strike, yet he allegedly provided Israel with the coordinates leading to the killing of a Hezbollah official and his son during an Israeli raid in the southern suburbs in April 2024.

Furthermore, Saleh reportedly disclosed the names of newly appointed Hezbollah leaders, helping Israel carry out subsequent targeted assassinations. A security source, also speaking anonymously, said that interrogations revealed Israeli interest in the types of vehicles used by Hezbollah members.

This detail is believed to have assisted Israel in conducting drone strikes targeting militants since the ceasefire.

By Sabina Mammadli