Police and the Shin Bet have been investigating over the last month an incident involving a young resident of the northern Druze village of Ein el-Asad who apparently crossed the border to Lebanon, where he was forced to deliver information to Hizbullah.
The 23-year old youngster, Jamil Abu-Salah, was returned to Israel at the end of December along with Ali Hassan Avaro, who was indicted last week over charges of entering an enemy state, keeping contact with a foreign agent and delivering information to the enemy.
According to the indictment, Abu-Salah crossed the border to Lebanon near the village of Rajar at the end of February 2005. At the border crossing, Abu-Salah told soldiers he planned to visit family members living in Lebanon, and despite warnings by the troops that entering Lebanon was illegal, crossed the border and traveled to Beirut.
Several days after arriving in the Lebanese capital, Abu-Salah visited a local police station where he identified himself as an Israeli citizen. He was than promptly transferred to a detention facility, and informed he will be interrogated by Hizbullah members.
In his interrogation, Abu-Salah gave his captors information on army bases in northern Israel, on his village and on his relatives who serve in the IDF and the Israel Prison Service.
According to the indictment, Abu-Salah told his interrogators he was willing to continue providing them with information after he returns to Israel. Upon his return to the country, Abu-Salah was detained by security forces. At that point, he claimed he traveled to Lebanon because of a failed love affair.
Following his arrest, Abu-Salah underwent psychiatric evaluation and was found fit to stand trial.