Lebanese arrest second member of Israeli spy ring

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
Early yesterday morning I wrote that Adib Al-Alam, a retired Lebanese brigadier general who was arrested last Saturday on charges of spying for Israel, was “part of a wider spy ring operating out of the town of Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, and that more arrests are likely to follow before too long”. Several hours later, Lebanese officials announced the arrest of J’ Al-Alam, nephew of Abid Al-Alam, in the town of Naqoura, on charges of spying for Israel. Like his uncle, J’ Al-Alam is a Lebanese Christian and, like is uncle, is rumored to be an employee “in a non-civilian capacity” of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF). Lebanese government sources have said the retired general has already admitted spying on behalf of Israel for over a decade (some say up to 25 years), and that he “regularly met with his Israeli contacts at European destinations”. Speaking further on the counterintelligence operation, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Adib Al-Alam was “the head of a network” of Israeli-handles spies, which implies that more arrests may be in order. Several Lebanese media have described the Al-Alam spy ring as “professional and well-trained” and have alleged that the activities of its members were not limited to espionage, but possibly included “carrying out missions” on behalf of Israel.