Israel’s last war on Hezbollah revealed that Lebanon has become “fertile ground” for agents working for Israel.
The war led to the discovery of dozens of agents, who were operating in Hezbollah’s tight circle and part of Israel’s war on the Iran-backed party.
Lebanese security forces recently arrested a Yemeni national on suspicion of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, but this time the target was not Hezbollah, but the Houthis.
He is suspected of providing information to Israel on Houth activity in Yemen and Lebanon.
A judicial source confirmed that the arrest took place in Beirut last week.
The suspect had arrived in Beirut two months ago and was residing at a hotel in the capital, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Last week, he attempted to enter the Yemeni embassy in Beirut, seeking to meet the ambassador to ask for a job so that he would be able to live in Lebanon permanently, he explained.
Guards at the embassy barred his entry because his name was not registered at the mission. A scuffle ensued and the person insulted the guards, prompting them to detain him and seize his mobile phone.
Inspecting the phone, they discovered that he was in constant contact with Israeli numbers. The guards promptly informed the Military Public Prosecution, which ordered his arrest.
The suspect confessed to working for Israel and providing it with information about the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
He said he hailed from the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa and that after he moved to Beirut, he was approached by the Mossad to collect information about Houthi leaders in Lebanon.
The source revealed that the suspect was in contact with the Israelis even as Israel carried out attacks on Yemen.
In fact, the suspect said he was happy that the Houthis were being attacked by American and Israeli forces because of the suffering they have caused in Yemen since their coup against the legitimate government.
The suspect said he was working alone and that he was not part of a network of spies, which is in line with the approach Israel has been adopting in recruiting agents in Lebanon.
Following preliminary investigations, the Military Public Prosecution charged him with “communicating with the Israeli enemy, spying for Israel on Lebanese territories and providing it with information that is harmful to state security.”
He has been referred to the military investigative judge for questioning.
