The accused was said to have given information on rocket landings
צילום: צחי דגבר
Bedouin accused of spying for Hizbullah
Nazareth District Court accuses Beit Zarzir resident of transferring information to terror group on IDF soldiers' movements
First security affair during wartime: The Nazareth District Court released for publication the indictment of a Bedouin resident from the village of Beit Zarzir, charged with transferring intelligence information to Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Amakim District Police Chief Superintendent Yaakov Zigdon told Ynet that "this was a clear case of spying, during a time of war, as someone seeks to harm the security of the State of Israel."
The details of the case reveal that Riad Mazariv, 30, was arrested by the Amakim District's central police unit and the Shin Bet on July 21, 10 days after the start of the war in the north.
From intelligence reports it has emerged that during the month of June, Mazariv made contact with an Israel Defense Forces scout, Iyad Rahal, and asked him for aid in smuggling drugs from the Lebanese border.
According to the charge sheet, Rahal obtained for Mazariv the phone number of a Lebanese drug dealer and the two were in contact until the start of the war on July 12, the day two IDF soldiers were kidnapped.
Three days after that contact was renewed between Mazariv and the Lebanese dealer, who turned out to be a Hizbullah member.
Drugs for info
The dealer told Mazariv that Hizbullah would allow him to smuggle drugs in exchange for intelligence information.
On that basis, charges say, Mazariv transferred messages to the Lebanese dealers while being fully aware that the information was going to Hizbullah.
Mazariv transferred information on the landing spots of missiles, on children killed in Nazareth, and on the entrance of forces into Lebanon – various points of movement and the depth of progress.
In addition, the Lebanese dealers asked Mazariv if he had friends in the IDF from who Hizbullah could be briefed from.
During one IDF shelling on the area of Dahiya in Beirut, the Lebanese dealer asked Mazariv what a balloon was floating in the area, and Mazariv said its role to photograph the area.
The charges against Mazariv include: Contact and attempt to aid the enemy during war, contact with a foreign agent, the passing of information to the enemy, and making contacts to import and supply dangerous drugs.
Mazariv admitted to the charges and said he was helper of Hizbullah. With his arrest, the episode was banned from being reported, and he was interrogated by Emekim police.
"This isn't the first time we witness connections between drug dealers from Israel and the sending of information to Hizbullah. The axis of crime has always been problematic from security perspective, and remains so during a time of war, "said District Chief Gizron.
Ahiya Raved and Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
