Beirut: A Lebanese military judge has
charged four people with spying for Israel and providing the
Jewish state with details about the army and militant group
Hezbollah, a judicial source said on Saturday.
"All four suspects are Lebanese and are charged with
spying for Israel and providing information on civilian and
military posts and on Hezbollah," the source said to a news agency on
condition of anonymity.
Only two of the suspects were in custody, while the
others were charged in absentia.
"One of those in custody confessed that he was in contact
with two others, whom he says are currently in Israel," the
source added.
Lebanon launched a crackdown on espionage rings in April
2009, arresting dozens of suspected Israeli spies, some of
them policemen and security officials equipped with
sophisticated surveillance and communication gear.
Israel has made no public comment on the arrests.
Lebanon and Israel remain technically in a state of war,
and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labour or
the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese
loss of life.
One of the most high-profile cases is that of Mahmud
Qassem Rafeh, a 63-year-old retired member of Lebanon's
security services.
Rafeh was sentenced to death last month for having spied
for Israel and for his involvement in the murder of brothers
Mahmud and Nidal Mazjoub of the Islamic Jihad group.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 22:44