Lebanon arrests man accused of spying for Mossad, aiding Hezbollah killings

Lebanese authorities have arrested a man suspected of spying for Israel and passing intelligence that allegedly contributed to the assassination of several senior Hezbollah commanders, including Fuad Shukr and Ibrahim Aqil, a judicial source told local media.

The suspect, a Lebanese national, was detained last week at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport as he prepared to travel to Iraq, according to the source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

The source said the man is suspected of working for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and is considered one of the most significant espionage suspects uncovered by Lebanese authorities because of his alleged access to sensitive information through contacts close to Hezbollah.

According to the source, investigators had monitored the suspect's communications with overseas phone numbers deemed suspicious before his arrest. Preliminary findings indicate that he frequently travelled between Lebanon and Iraq, where his wife is from, and allegedly met individuals linked to Mossad in Türkiye, where he is accused of handing over intelligence collected in Beirut.

The source said the information allegedly provided by the suspect helped identify targets in Israeli operations that killed four senior Hezbollah security officials during 2024. The officials are believed to include Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs in August 2024, and Ibrahim Aqil, who was killed in September the same year.

Reuters could not independently verify the allegations. Israel rarely comments on intelligence operations attributed to Mossad, while Hezbollah has not publicly commented on the reported arrest.

The suspect has been referred to Lebanon's military judiciary after preliminary investigations by the Internal Security Forces' Information Branch, the source said.

The arrest is the latest in a series of espionage cases pursued by Lebanese authorities since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified, with officials seeking to identify suspected intelligence networks believed to have assisted Israeli operations targeting Hezbollah personnel and infrastructure.

The judicial source said investigators were continuing to examine the suspect's alleged activities and possible links to other individuals or networks operating inside and outside Lebanon.

By Aghakazim Guliyev