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Thursday 25 April 2019 - 04:59

Israeli spies may infiltrate into Lebanon under tourism guise, intel agency warns

Story Code : 790550
In this picture taken on June 30, 2017, tourists take pictures as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by The Associated Press)
In this picture taken on June 30, 2017, tourists take pictures as the sun sets over the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by The Associated Press)

“The Israeli enemy is trying to enter Lebanon by recruiting its agents in delegations under the cover of "tourist trips", in order to use them for security purposes inside Lebanon,” the General Security Directorate announced in a statement released on Wednesday.

“The Directorate urges citizens, travel and tourism offices not to fall victim to individuals or companies claiming to organize various tourist trips to Lebanon, or promote them by email or through social networking sites, unless they have official representatives,” it added.

On March 19, Lebanese intelligence forces arrested a Lebanese-Canadian man on charges of spying for Mossad through gathering intelligence about the Hezbollah resistance movement and missing Israeli pilot Ron Arad.

The suspect, identified only by his initials as F.G., admitted during interrogation that he was recruited by fugitive Lebanese spy N.G. in 2013. N.G. currently chairs a division in the 504 Unit of the Israeli intelligence service.

F.G. also confessed that he had been assigned to recruit Lebanese people to infiltrate Hezbollah’s support zone and collect security information for Israel, including hints about the missing pilot.

The 41-year-old suspect was referred to related judiciary officials, and efforts are underway to arrest those who worked with him.

The Lebanese Army’s intelligence branch stated on November 12 last year that it had arrested a man suspected of spying for Mossad as he was attempting to cross the southern border into occupied Palestinian territories.

The army said the man, identified as Mohammad Hussein Fakih, was captured in the village of Meiss Ej Jabal, situated some 78 kilometers (49 miles) south of the capital Beirut.
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