Lebanon accuses Israel of election tampering

Lebanese Telecommunication Minister Gibran Bassil accused Israel on Tuesday of causing massive disruptions in cellular communication in the country ahead and on Election Day on Sunday.

At a press conference at his office Bassil claimed that inquiries conducted by his ministry revealed Israel was responsible for jamming cellular signals and interrupting communication among private users, defense officials, political activists and embassies.

Bassil said he asked Lebanon's foreign minister to issue a formal complaint with the UN regarding the alleged disruption.

"There are known sources of disruption from the sea and air," said Bassil, who claimed that he was the first to warn about the possibility of such attempts two months ago.

The problems, noted throughout the country and not just in the south, were registered mainly on the cellular networks, although landlines also suffered some disturbances, he added.

These accusations come in the heels of the recent exposure of an alleged "Israeli spy ring" in Lebanon.

This is not the first time that such allegations are being heard in the country. In the past Lebanese officials accused Israel of sending phone messages to Lebanese citizens as part of psychological warfare against them.