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Last update - 07:39 02/11/2008
Lebanon arrests cell suspected of working for Israel's Mossad since 1980s
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel news, Lebanon, Mossad 

Lebanon's military intelligence has captured two members of a spy network suspected of working for the Mossad since the 1980s, according to an army statement. The military also said the men were involved in intelligence gathering ahead of the assassination of Hezbollah's second-in-command, Imad Mughniyeh.

The two suspects have confessed to gathering information on the movements of local politicians, the Lebanese army said on Saturday.

The terse military statement did not name the two detainees or say when they were captured, but did mention that they had advanced communication equipment and cameras.
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If the report is accurate, the existence of high-tech equipment could indicate the group was a cell on a specific and predefined intelligence gathering data, as opposed to other so-called spy rings which Israeli intelligence reportedly uses to recover random pieces of intelligence.

Other Lebanese media reported that authorities are investigating a possible link between the ring and the assassination of Mughniyeh, who was killed in a car bombing last February in Damascus. The Lebanese investigation also revealed that the cell has been monitoring sensitive security areas in Damascus, reports said.

Some of the Lebanese army's past statements regarding covert Israeli activities in Lebanon have turned out to be reliable.

Lebanon's leading daily newspaper As-Safir reported on Saturday that the Lebanese army arrested the cell's leader in the western Bekaa valley, near Lebanon's border with Syria, after having monitored him for some time. While the sources refused to elaborate, residents of the western Bekaa Valley town where the arrest took place told As-Safir that security forces raided the suspect's home and confiscated his vehicle, which was fitted with a camera capable of taking clear pictures of license plates and faces.

The eyewitnesses told As-Safir that the man didn't appear to have a real job and that he would sometimes park his vehicle on the international highway between the Bekaa town of Shtaura and the Masnaa border crossing.

According to the report, sources close to the investigation said the suspect was recruited by the Mossad in the 1980s. They added that documents seized from the suspect's house and vehicle proved he was using high-tech equipment to contact the Israelis.

The same sources said security forces have also arrested a relative of the man who confessed to monitoring the moves of people and convoys, and observing sensitive sites, particularly in the central Bekaa valley.

The newspaper said the network had been entrusted with monitoring several security spots, including Lebanese and Syrian army outposts and Palestinian bases in the Bekaa valley. In the past few years concentrated on Hezbollah.


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      1.   Not so far-fetched then..... 10:55  |  Palestinian Brit 01/11/08
      2.   Mossad in Bekaa Valley ? 11:05  |  Brutus 01/11/08
      3.   When in doubt blame Israel: a little bit of torture does wonders 12:02  |  x-ray 01/11/08
      4.   #1;Palestian Brit your post doesn`t make sense? 13:03  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 01/11/08
      5.   Lebanon arrests cell suspected of.. 13:09  |  David Nigel Braham 01/11/08
      6.   Yes, It must be Israel 13:29  |  Alan 01/11/08
      7.   1/2 the headlines lately are... 13:45  |  Joe 01/11/08
      8.   Waterboarding & other US/Israel torture Methods Can Be Employed 13:48  |  Johan Odin 01/11/08
      9.   MAKE BELIEVE-to dispel and creat justication 13:50  |  Craig 01/11/08
      10.   Johan Odin,your Oslo police is known for torturing foreigners 14:18  |  Absolute Sweden 01/11/08
      11.   Here Comes The Blame Game Again 14:24  |  Yosemite 01/11/08
      12.   Doc, That`s What Observers Do, 14:47  |  Reader 01/11/08
      13.   It`s a durty business 15:09  |  Bitin Dawg 01/11/08
      14.   # 5 Walker spied for Russia for over 20 years 15:27  |  Faris Zaidan 01/11/08
      15.   Thank you for your 20 or so years of service to humanity! 15:27  |  Murray of Montreal 01/11/08
      16.   mossad 15:33  |  Frank 01/11/08
      17.   Sounds far fetched, maybe it was the CIA. 15:34  |  Stephen. 01/11/08
      18.   Lebanon is surrounded by Israel, North South East West 15:49  |  x-ray 01/11/08
      19.   Very Simple 16:04  |  David L G. 01/11/08
      20.   Hi tech spy 16:05  |  007 01/11/08
      21.   Hezbanese find `Israeli spies` every Tuesday and Thursday 16:43  |  Dan 01/11/08
      22.   they are not the onl Mossad unit we are closing on the rest 16:47  |  tea man 01/11/08
      23.   PALESTINIAN BRIT 17:16  |  Brant 01/11/08
      24.   THE POWER OF MOSSAD 17:23  |  Brant 01/11/08
      25.   TO NO 3 17:28  |  DANNY 01/11/08
      26.   Nasrala is loosing his mind 17:48  |  Dr Noam 01/11/08
      27.   TO DAVID LG. IN COLORADO NO 16. 17:59  |  DANNY. 01/11/08
      28.   yeah yeah yeah, here comes the rightist deniers 18:15  |  Mohari 01/11/08
      29.   #12:Reader, Sorry your way off base. How revealing. 18:25  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 01/11/08
      30.   Hilarious 19:19  |  17 01/11/08
      31.   TOO # 2!!!!!!!! 19:23  |  JIm 01/11/08
      32.   Take it from me: ... 19:36  |  Sharif Hafez 01/11/08
      33.   Mossad in Lebanon. 19:46  |  Daniel Garcia 01/11/08
      34.   Mossad in Lebanon. 19:49  |  Daniel Garcia 01/11/08
      35.   #12 Observer - No, no surprise at all 20:26  |  Yonatan 01/11/08
      36.   Lebanon`s military intelligence???? 20:59  |  Ralph 01/11/08
      37.   Israel has no spies and no nukes 21:15  |  Natallie Durson 01/11/08
      38.   Mission impossible 21:48  |  Great White North 01/11/08
      39.   Sharif Hafez 23 21:51  |  alan 01/11/08
      40.   # 28 NDurson - hopefully we have spies and nukes 00:42  |  17 02/11/08
      41.   sure it is 01:01  |  salwa 02/11/08
      42.   johan odin #8 what,no condemnation in the use of cordless drills 01:17  |  terrornator 02/11/08
      43.   sharif hafez # 23 take it from me,if you arabs/muslims would get 01:23  |  terrornator 02/11/08
      44.   A spy every weeks! 01:48  |  E.A. 02/11/08
      45.   Doc re: #4 05:12  |  Free Gilad Shalit 02/11/08
      46.   To Natallie Durson Are you an anti semite? 05:21  |  David LG 02/11/08
      47.   Lebanon`s military intelligence - need we say more? 06:43  |  Hezbanese 02/11/08
      48.   EA - the same spies? 07:52  |  Palestinian Brit 02/11/08
      49.   SO WHAT!! Lebanon considers itself at War with Israel 08:03  |  ROBOCOP 02/11/08
      50.   RE: Israel has no spies and no nukes 10:31  |  Robertn Newlanders 02/11/08
      51.   I BELIEVE THIS AGENTS WERE GOOD 10:33  |  indrajaya 02/11/08
      52.   Ben Gurion alreay said: we have thieves and hookers... 10:42  |  Israeli citizen 02/11/08
      53.   david ig 46 10:53  |  potobac 02/11/08
      54.   military what ? after 26 years ? 11:10  |  victor hardman 02/11/08
      55.   READER HEZBALLAH firing from right next to the UN Base,see report 11:23  |  PETER SM 02/11/08
      56.   SPY keeps documents at home linking him to Israel?? 11:27  |  PETER SM 02/11/08
      57.   SPY hangs around all day drawing attention to himself 11:36  |  PETER SM 02/11/08
      58.   # 57, PETER SM 11:52  |  indrajaya 02/11/08
      59.   INDRAJAYA Israel "lost" but Nasrallah "the victor"still hiding? 12:38  |  PETER SM 02/11/08
      60.   salwa take a good hard look at the mess Lebanon has become 12:41  |  PETER SM 02/11/08
      61.   Lies and lies, their big nose is a problem like pinocchio 12:51  |  JP 02/11/08
      62.   #1 Palestinian Brit 13:22  |  Sarah 02/11/08
      63.   Johan Odin 13:27  |  Sarah 02/11/08
      64.   #46 David LG 13:30  |  Sarah 02/11/08
      65.   Lies lies lies 13:51  |  ScotGuy 02/11/08
      66.   Leave Lebanon Alone 15:25  |  Steve Grumman 02/11/08
      67.   I wonder if... 16:18  |  David Nigel Braham 02/11/08
      68.   "....turned out to be reliable." 17:47  |  Gray 02/11/08
      69.   #68 Gray: Get Out Much? Especially To The Middle East? 20:31  |  Lavi 02/11/08
      70.   send nukes and spies 20:45  |  judy