Hezbollah’s Israeli Spy Scandal Has Foreigners Facing Accusations of Espionage
At least 21 people have been detained by Hezbollah and handed to Lebanese authorities, accused of collaboration with Israel, with foreigners in Lebanon concerned about being falsely accused
In Lebanon, it is not unusual to be accused of being a spy, especially for foreigners, for whom facing accusations of espionage is almost the norm. As the events of the past year show, this suspicion isn’t necessarily unfounded. After Israel infiltrated Hezbollah’s telecommunications network, setting up a shell company that sold the group pagers and walkie-talkies that secretly contained explosives, much of Hezbollah’s leadership was killed, as were several civilians. That attack took place during a two-month military operation in Lebanon last autumn that took the lives of thousands. Now, the Lebanese group is trying to tackle this escalating threat of espionage.
A report published in Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic-language newspaper based in London, found that at least 21 people have been detained by Hezbollah and handed to Lebanese authorities in recent weeks, accused of collaboration with Israel. Many of those accused of being spies were closely linked to commanders and operatives.
Journalist Youssef Diab wrote that the alleged espionage was believed to have provided sensitive information to the Mossad, Israeli’s national intelligence agency. He said that the widening scandal had become “a nightmare for Hezbollah.”
Many of the 21 detainees were reportedly recruited by the Mossad intelligence agency during the ongoing conflict, but others, according to a judicial source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat, were contacted before hostilities broke out. The group includes 13 Lebanese nationals, six Syrians, and two Palestinians, all currently undergoing interrogation sessions before military investigative judges.
The most notable accused spy is Mohammad Saleh, the son of a senior Hezbollah commander, whom sources reportedly described as “one of the most dangerous informants and possibly the one responsible for the largest number of targeted killings.”
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He would often photograph himself with senior party figures, some of whom were later killed, and transmit the images to his handlers.
Besides tipping Israel off about Hezbollah’s current commanders, Saleh reportedly provided the names of the officials set to replace assassinated commanders. “He would often photograph himself with senior party figures, some of whom were later killed, and transmit the images to his handlers,” the judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The military court’s government commissioner, Judge Fadi Akiki, formally indicted Saleh on charges of “collaborating with the Israeli enemy, conspiring with it, and supplying it with information that resulted in civilian deaths.” Penalties for such a charge can include execution.
Since Lebanon and Israel are officially in a state of war, Lebanese law strictly prohibits any contact with Israeli authorities or individuals. Such actions are considered crimes, punishable by imprisonment. Over the years, numerous individuals have been arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel, with sentences reaching up to 25 years in prison. Now, after a 14-month-long conflict that ended with a ceasefire after two months of lethal aggression by Israeli forces, the political context is very fragile.
In these tense circumstances, the number of arrests continues to rise. Lebanon’s major intelligence branches—including the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch, Military Intelligence, and General Security—have reportedly ramped up surveillance to monitor suspicious activity both domestically and abroad.
The spy scandal has particularly shaken the Shiite community, which forms Hezbollah’s support base. Some outraged Lebanese recently erected a mock gallows in a public square, demanding the execution of collaborators.
This doesn’t happen in Lebanon. Besides being a militia, Hezbollah is a political party with an important role in the Lebanese political scene, so they don’t want to use that strategy and be seen as barbaric.
A Lebanese political expert who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic told The Media Line that executions of accused spies for Israel is a known phenomenon in Gaza and the West Bank. “This doesn’t happen in Lebanon,” the source said. “Besides being a militia, Hezbollah is a political party with an important role in the Lebanese political scene, so they don’t want to use that strategy and be seen as barbaric.”
One factor that may be contributing to increasing collaboration of Lebanese citizens with Israel is the dire economic situation in Lebanon. Between the start of Lebanon’s economic collapse in 2019 and the end of 2022, security forces apprehended 185 individuals suspected of collaborating with Israel, according to announcements made by Lebanese authorities. Since then, the economic conditions have further deteriorated, with the UN estimating that three-quarters of the population now lives under the poverty line. That reality may have led more people to be lured by the financial incentives offered by Israeli recruiters.
Last time I went, I was detained for a couple of hours by Hezbollah operatives, and I really don’t want to repeat the experience.
This increasing rate of arrest is changing patterns of life for some people in Lebanon. “I have stopped going to the southern suburbs of Beirut,” a foreigner living in Lebanon told The Media Line. “I used to enjoy eating out there, since they have some of the best restaurants and the most genuine people, but last time I went, I was detained for a couple of hours by Hezbollah operatives, and I really don’t want to repeat the experience.”
