Lebanese officials claim arrest of Israeli spy

By IAN ALLEN| intelNews.org |
Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star quotes unnamed official sources who report the arrest of an alleged Israeli spy in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. The arrestee has been identified as Kamal Faqih, a Lebaneze citizen who lived for several years in France before returning to Lebanon to work in the oil retail industry. Lebanese security sources claim Faqih was recruited either by Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, or by Mossad, fifteen years ago while living in France. It is thought that Hezbollah, the Shia Islamic political and paramilitary organization that controls large parts of Lebanon, was initially alerted to Faqih’s “suspicious behavior” during the July 2006 Israel-Lebanon war. The alleged spy was apparently apprehended following a stakeout by Hezbollah operatives, which lasted “several months”, according to The Daily Star. The paper correctly notes that Faqih’s arrest is the second such incident in recent months. Last October, two Lebanese brothers were arrested in the Bekaa Valley, and charged with membership in a clandestine Israeli spy ring that had been operating in the area for nearly 20 years. More information about the October 2008 arrests can be found here.