Lebanese media outlets reported on Tuesday that local security forces arrested Haytham Mazahem, a journalist from Al-Mayadeen channel affiliated with Hezbollah, on charges of spying for Israel.
According to national media reports, the station promptly removed all of Mazahem’s pictures from the digital archive. The journalist’s family initially feared he had been kidnapped, before discovering that he was taken into custody by the country’s security agencies.
Mazahem, known to be associated with the Center for Islamic Research, resides in Mashghara city, located in Southern Beqaa. Informed sources have revealed that he consistently called for an uprising against the Palestinian leadership in all his articles published on the Al-Mayadeen site, considering it as an agent for Israel.
It is noteworthy that Al-Mayadeen is managed by Ghassan Bin Jiddo, a former journalist at Al-Jazeera, who launched the channel following the Syrian revolution, taking a stance supportive of Bashar al-Assad.
The Lebanese security forces have arrested 185 citizens suspected of collaborating with Israel. This figure represents a record high compared to previous years. More than 100 people have been arrested in Lebanon between April 2009 and 2014 on charges of spying for Israel, the vast majority being military personnel or journalists.
