A Russian citizen was sentenced in Lebanon by a military court to eight years in prison for spying for Israel, the Russian news source Ria Novosti reported on Wednesday morning.
The man received Russian citizenship through his marriage to his wife, who is a Russian national. The report did not specify what nationality the husband holds, but previous reports stated that he is also a Russian citizen.
The couple, whose family name is Chaikin, was arrested in Beirut last July when they tried to leave the country with their infant daughter. The wife, who was also accused of spying for Israel, was acquitted of the suspicions against her. Employees of the Russian embassy in Beirut helped prove the woman's non-involvement in the crime, a source informed Ria Novosti, despite a report by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar saying that the man's wife admitted in her investigation that she knew her husband's work and helped him.
The report quoted an official saying that Russian diplomats were in close contact and negotiated with Hezbollah leadership and the head of the Lebanese Foreign Ministry for more than six months regarding the family's detention.
The source also noted that after the detention of the woman and their baby, Russian diplomats spent several months donating food and basic necessities for the child and mother. The woman reportedly left Lebanon last Saturday with her daughter and returned to Russia.
The man's confession
Al-Akhbar reported that the convicted man had confessed to the general security apparatus in Lebanon that he was recruited by Israeli intelligence and worked to collect data in the country. According to the report, he was provided with maps of places and facilities that belonged to Hezbollah and was asked to inspect and photograph them.
When suspicions arose about him, the Lebanese general security apparatus tracked him down and arrested him along with his wife. He admitted that he had visited Beirut's Dahieh suburb more than once for his work with Israeli intelligence. Dahieh is where senior Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated by an Israeli drone.