Man suspected of spying for Mossad arrested in Lebanon

Hussein H. reportedly spied for the Mossad between 2011 and 2020 and was recruited in Tanzania.

 HEZBOLLAH MEMBERS hold flags marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Kfar Kila near the Lebanese border with Israel in May. (photo credit: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS)
HEZBOLLAH MEMBERS hold flags marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Kfar Kila near the Lebanese border with Israel in May.
(photo credit: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS)

A man suspected of being a Mossad spy was arrested in Lebanon, Lebanese news site Al-Akhbar reported on Monday morning.

According to the Al-Akbar report, the suspect is named Hussein H. and his father and uncles were leaders in Hezbollah.

Hussein was reportedly recruited by a man named Hajj Salim who "fought in the ranks of Hezbollah for many years before he was injured, which forced him to travel to France for treatment, where he married a French woman and later worked in import and export." 

The report claims that Salim became a Mossad agent and met Hussein in Tanzania and convinced him to join the Mossad by telling him that he and Hussein's father were comrades-in-arms before the latter was killed fighting for Hezbollah.

Hussein is believed to have spied for the Mossad from 2011 to 2020 while continuing his work for Hezbollah.

 Mossad seal (credit: רונאלדיניו המלך/Wikimedia Commons)
Mossad seal (credit: רונאלדיניו המלך/Wikimedia Commons)

The Lebanese intelligence was reportedly informed of Hussein's activity for the Mossad by his neighbors in his hometown of Ghassaniyeh after they noticed a marked improvement in his living conditions.

Former Israeli spies arrested in Lebanon

Earlier this month, another report by Al-Akhbar claimed that a man close to Hezbollah turned himself in and said that he had been spying for Israel. He said that he had been working for the Mossad since 2018 and had been recruited through websites set up by the Mossad for the purpose of recruitment.

In September, an American Jew was arrested in Lebanon after the country believed he was spying for Israel when it was discovered that he had booked his stay in Beirut while visiting Israel. He was released a couple of days later and immediately left the country.