Lebanon foils attack on Hezbollah commemoration, arrests 32 'Israel spies'

Lebanese authorities foiled an attack that was being planned to target a Hezbollah commemoration, and have arrested dozens of suspected spies accused of collaborating with Israel.

The General Security apparatus thwarted a suspected Israeli plot aimed at carrying out simultaneous bombings during events last month commemorating the first anniversary of last year’s Hezbollah-Israel war, Lebanese media reports said Thursday.

The attacks were planned to target participants at the site of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s mausoleum in a southern suburb of Beirut, and also the Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium.

The security operation that thwarted the attack was reportedly carried out in "complete secrecy and under the direct supervision of the General Security Directorate, in order to preserve the confidentiality of the ongoing investigation into the [detained] group’s external connections."

According to media reports, the plot was orchestrated by a foreign national only identified as Martin, who resides in Germany and moves around Europe.

Investigations have revealed that he was the primary handler, communicating with members of the network through encrypted messaging applications, without any direct personal contact with them. Security sources have confirmed his connection to Israeli intelligence.

Nearly a year of cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel culminated in more than two-months of all-out war that started in September and ended in late November 2024.

Hezbollah’s longtime and charismatic leader, Nasrallah, was killed in a massive Israeli airstrike south of Beirut on 27 September. His cousin and would-be successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed days later in a similar air raid.

Nasrallah’s mausoleum is located near the main airport highway and has frequently attracted local and foreign visitors.

Lebanese authorities say they have cracked down on dozens of Israeli espionage networks, announcing the arrests of spies allegedly working for Israel.

Israeli collaborators

A judicial official in Lebanon told AFP on Thursday that 32 people had been arrested in recent months on suspicion of providing Israel with information on Hezbollah that facilitated strikes on the militant group.

Requesting anonymity, the official said that "at least 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, six of them before the ceasefire".

So far, "nine people have been tried by the military court", while 23 are still under investigation, the official added.

Lebanon has no formal ties with Israel, and any contact is punishable with imprisonment.

A second judicial official with knowledge of the investigations said two of those convicted were sentenced to eight and seven years of hard labour respectively.

They were found guilty of "providing the enemy with coordinates, addresses and names of Hezbollah officials, knowing that the enemy would use this information to bomb locations where the group's officials and leaders were located", that official said.

Some of the suspects admitted to "providing Israel with information during the war in south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs", where Hezbollah holds sway, they added.

The Mossad’s deep infiltration in Hezbollah is believed to have helped Israel execute its attacks on the group, from the pager and walkie-talkie blasts, the assassinations of top officials, and targeting key military sites.

In violation of the the November 2024 ceasefire, Israel has continued to conduct strikes on the group.

Vehicle types, buildings

Dozens of suspected collaborators – many of them from Hezbollah’s support base or close to the group’s inner circles – have been arrested in recent years. Those convicted face prison sentences of up to 25 years.

Among those in custody is a religious singer close to Hezbollah whose brother was killed in an Israeli strike.

The suspect is accused of collaborating with Israel's Mossad spy agency in exchange for money, the second official said, and of providing Israel with coordinates that led to the death of a Hezbollah official and his son in an Israeli strike south of Beirut in April.

He allegedly supplied Israel with "the names of new leaders appointed by the party to succeed those killed during the war, facilitating their assassination by Israel", the second official added.

A Lebanese security source, also requesting anonymity, told AFP that initial questioning of some detainees showed Israel had sought information on the types of cars and motorcycles Hezbollah members used.

Since the ceasefire, Israel has usually said its strikes have targeted Hezbollah sites or operatives, and it repeatedly struck cars and motorbikes both before and after the truce.

"Some agents from outside the group's ranks were tasked with monitoring certain Hezbollah military and security figures," or with "photographing buildings and facilities that Israel suspected were weapons depots and command and control centres", the security source added.

(Agencies contributed to this report)