Hezbollah arrests 4 Israeli agents whilst fifth escapes – Sources

London, Asharq Al-Awsat – Well-informed Lebanese sources have confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that 5 senior Hezbollah members have been uncovered as Israeli agents.  The source revealed that 4 of the 5 senior Hezbollah members were detained, whilst a fifth was able to escape.

According to another Lebanese source, a senior Hezbollah official has disappeared recently, amidst conflicting information about the reason for his absence.  However the Lebanese source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that this was due to “suspicion of collaborating with Israel.”  The source confirmed that the senior Hezbollah official, identified only as “M.S”, had disappeared from his home in Ghobeiry in southern Beirut.  The source also revealed that M.S’s parents and wife are unaware of his current location, or whether he left voluntarily or involuntarily.

If this information is proven to be correct, then “M.S” is one of the most senior Hezbollah members to have been accused of working for Israel in the history of the Lebanese militia group that is known for the impenetrability of its ranks.  “M.S” is believed to be a senior military commander in Hezbollah.  He was also reportedly questioned by the Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in April 2010.

The family of “M.S”, according to a reliable source, is extremely worried about his fate, particularly as he disappeared without informing any family member where he was going or when he would return.  However some believe that the family has been informed that “M.S” will not return at the current time, raising fears that he has either been killed or fled the country.

There are numerous rumors surrounding “M.S”, including that he is an Israeli spy who was involved in the assassination of Imad Mughniyah, and that he fled to Israel after his cover was blown, whilst others claim that Hezbollah banished him rather than arresting him, for reasons unknown.  This is not to mention the family’s fears that “M.S” may have been killed.

Hezbollah issued a statement on Thursday night denying alleged reports that any Hezbollah members had been arrested for collaborating with Israel.  The Hezbollah statement claimed that “these reports are totally baseless.”

This is not the first time that Hezbollah members have been accused of working for or collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies.  Earlier this year in June, two Hezbollah members confessed to working for the US Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], whilst a third was discovered to have links to an as-of-yet unnamed foreign intelligence agency.  In a speech following this discovery, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said “when the Israeli enemy failed to infiltrate Hezbollah, it turned to the most powerful intelligence agency” in a reference to the CIA.

He added “our investigation has found that…intelligence officers [in the CIA] have recruited two of our members separately, whom we shall not name out of respect for the privacy of their families.”

Nasrallah revealed that “the first confessed he was recruited five months ago…whilst the second confessed that he had been recruited even before that.”

However Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper claimed on Friday that in addition to the two spies who confessed to working for the CIA earlier this year, and the recent revelations regarding the 5 alleged Israeli agents, an additional 5 Hezbollah members worked for Tel Aviv and they were able to escape to Israel in June.

An-Nahar reported that the 5 Hezbollah members escaped to Israel in early June, before Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed the existence of two CIA spies working within Hezbollah’s ranks.  It is not known whether the two Hezbollah members who confessed to have collaborated with the CIA were aware of the presence of the Israeli spy ring within Hezbollah or not.