As Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs last March and residents fled in panic, one man found his opportunity.
Amid the chaos, he slipped out of his imprisonment in a Hezbollah cell and made his way to Baabda, the green, upscale diplomatic district overlooking the Lebanese capital, where he disappeared behind the gates of the Ukrainian Embassy.
His whereabouts remain unclear, according to The Associated Press, in a case that has become part of a broader intelligence battle as Hezbollah tries to identify alleged Israeli operatives they believe are linked to Israel.
The man identified by Lebanese officials as Khaled al-Aydi is said to be a Palestinian refugee from Syria who also holds Ukrainian citizenship.
He had been detained by Hezbollah in the Beirut suburbs and accused by Lebanese officials of being part of a thwarted Israeli intelligence plot to carry out bombings and assassinations.
Details of al-Aydi's escape and a Lebanese military court's case against him were provided by three judicial officials and two senior security officials in Lebanon who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. A senior political official in Hezbollah also provided details.
Al-Aydi's disappearance could have political implications for the Lebanese government, which has largely remained silent about the case.
If evidence were to emerge that al-Aydi escaped Lebanon with help from the government, it could inflame tensions with Hezbollah's base. The government already faces scrutiny for directly negotiating with Israel, which has been engaged in fierce fighting with Hezbollah since the early days of the Iran war.
The Ukrainian Embassy asked Lebanese authorities in March to facilitate al-Aydi’s departure from the country after he escaped Hezbollah detention, according to a Lebanese official document obtained by The Associated Press. But Lebanon’s General Security agency refused, saying a judicial warrant for his arrest had been issued earlier, according to the document.
A Ukrainian official with knowledge of the case said al-Aydi is not in the Ukrainian Embassy or its compound in Lebanon. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, would not say where al-Aydi is — and out of concern for the security of the embassy and its personnel, would not say whether al-Aydi was ever in the embassy, or whether Ukraine helped him escape.
Using human and high-tech surveillance, Israel has cultivated far-reaching intelligence networks in Lebanon. That has helped it carry out dramatic operations against Hezbollah.
In the most elaborate example, Israel infiltrated Hezbollah’s supply chain and sent the party thousands of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies. Israel remotely detonated the devices in September 2024, killing tens of people. Also, Israel's intelligence within Hezbollah allowed it to hit the group's senior leaders and field commanders “with relative ease,” analysts said.
In return, Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities have stepped up efforts against alleged spy networks.
Lebanese judicial officials said dozens of suspects have been convicted and are serving sentences, while others remain under investigation.
Cases filed in Lebanon’s military court describe operatives being paid to provide intelligence on Hezbollah weapons depots and political offices. Many of the alleged agents were recruited by Israeli handlers through social media, judicial officials said.
Other suspects are charged with providing the Mossad with maps and coordinates of key Hezbollah sites later struck in Israeli operations.
“It’s ironic that they (Hezbollah) were spending a lot of time accusing their opponents of being Israeli spies, and it turns out that the spies were actually from within the organization and its support base,” said Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
Al-Aydi’s Disappearance Complicates Situation
Conflicting reports emerged about the whereabouts of al-Aydi. Some security officials said the man is believed to have left Lebanon. It remains unclear whether he crossed into Syria or any other country.
The disappearance comes as relations between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah are at a low point.
The government was angered by Hezbollah’s unilateral decision to enter another war with Israel, while the party is furious the government has chosen to negotiate a ceasefire and potentially wider security and political agreement directly with Israel.
Al-Aydi’s escape could exacerbate tensions and put the Lebanese state in a difficult situation.
If Lebanese authorities refused to let al-Aydi leave the country, the US and Ukraine were “well-positioned to exert significant pressure” to secure his release, said Hage Ali.
On the other hand, if the state is seen to have let al-Aydi escape, it would inflame internal tensions, he said.
