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Al-Jazeera presents 'evidence' of spies in Lebanon
Broacast shows satellite equipment belonging to three recently-arrested suspects and allegedly used for communicating with Israeli intelligence
Technological equipment allegedly used by men in Lebanon
recently accused
of collaborating with Israeli intelligence sources was displayed in a Sunday broadcast of al-Jazeera as supposed evidence of the men's guilt.
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The broadcast, featuring sources from Lebanon's national security establishment, showed satellite-based communication devices and asserted that they have been found implanted in the furniture and dishware of the suspects.
The broadcast also showed computers, recording devices, cameras, cellular telephones and fake passports said to belong to the men.
A Lebanese security source told the London-based Arabic-language daily al-Sharq al-Awsat that such spy rings allowed Israel to identify Hizbullah targets in 2006, but they are not a recent development, having been around since before the Second Lebanon War. More spy rings will be exposed soon, he predicted.
The storm surrounding the 'spy ring exposure' is likely associated with the upcoming elections in the country, less than a month away. Hizbullah is angling to increase its parliamentary control at the expense of its anti-Syrian political rivals and to bolster its support base, is doing its best to prove that Israel remains a threat to Lebanon. As such, it is likely that similar spy hunts will continue in the upcoming weeks.
On Friday, Lebanese authorities arrested three people, including two brothers, on suspicion of spying for Israel on Friday, bringing the count of those detained for spying in 2009 to 16, a security official said.
Senior among this is retired brigadier general Adeeb al-Alam, who was arrested along with his wife Hayat Saloumi and nephew Joseph al-Aalam in April. At the beginning of May, a Lebanese policeman was arrested with his wife.
