The Lebanese army announced on Wednesday the arrest of two Syrian nationals, who were reportedly recruited by Israel through social media to document the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on various locations in Lebanon. According to the army’s statement, a patrol from the Directorate of Intelligence apprehended the suspects for filming sites and documenting the impact of hostile air raids, including the search and rescue operations and the recovery of bodies, to verify the results of the strikes.
The army revealed that the suspects were recruited via social media, and the investigation is now underway under the supervision of the relevant judiciary. Lebanon and Israel remain in a state of formal hostility, and over the years, Lebanese security agencies have arrested dozens on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, with many recruits linked to the country’s economic collapse over the past five years. Some of those arrested have received prison sentences of up to 25 years.
On the previous Saturday, the Lebanese army warned of suspicious media content allegedly disseminated by Israel for the purposes of “espionage” or “recruitment,” amid ongoing intensive Israeli airstrikes in various Lebanese regions. The statement on the army’s social media platform noted that the enemy was using content on platforms like videos, links, and apps to lure citizens into sites designed for espionage or recruitment.
Since September 23, Israel has conducted devastating airstrikes mainly targeting southern Lebanon, eastern areas, and Beirut’s southern suburb, Hezbollah’s stronghold. These attacks have resulted in more than 1,110 deaths and displaced over 1.2 million people. On September 27, Israel killed Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, in airstrikes targeting the Haret Hreik area in Beirut’s southern suburb.
Last month, Hezbollah urged Lebanese citizens to discard leaflets dropped by Israel in eastern Lebanon, warning against scanning the QR codes on them, which could potentially compromise personal data.
