Lebanon arrests 32 for spying for 'Israel' amid continued violations
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Several suspects face hard labor sentences after being accused of aiding Israeli strikes on the country.
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An army soldier stands on a vehicle at a road leading to the parliament building in Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (AP)
Lebanese authorities have arrested 32 people in recent months on suspicion of spying for "Israel", a judicial official told AFP on Thursday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the judicial official said, “At least 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, six of them before the ceasefire.”
Of those detained, “nine people have been tried by the military court,” while 23 remain under investigation, the official added.
A second judicial official familiar with the investigations said that two of those convicted were sentenced to eight and seven years of hard labor, respectively, after being found guilty.
Read next: Lebanese court to release dangerous convicted 'Israel' spy: Report
Israeli drone strikes Houla in four attacks on southern Lebanon
This comes as Israeli strikes continue intermittently since a ceasefire was declared in November.
Just yesterday, an Israeli quadcopter carried out four consecutive attacks on the town of Houla, beginning with the dropping of a stun grenade and followed by the shelling of a local café, in what Lebanese sources describe as a continuation of "Israel’s" repeated aggressions along the southern border.
On Tuesday, one Lebanese civilian was martyred and another injured in an Israeli drone strike on the town of Deir Ames in South Lebanon, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.
The drone reportedly targeted the martyr's vehicle in the southern town of Deir Ames, which is located in the Tyre district.
Earlier, "Israel" also targeted a bulldozer in Wadi Maryamin on the outskirts of the town of Yater in southern Lebanon, killing one civilian.
Continued Israeli escalations on the border
These latest escalations are part of a broader pattern of Israeli attacks targeting border towns and villages in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Resistance continues to monitor Israeli movements and respond within the established rules of engagement that have governed the northern front since the outbreak of cross-border clashes.
"Israel" has consistently violated the ceasefire agreement brokered last November, which clearly entails the end of hostilities on both sides. The Lebanese side has fully abided by the requirements of the truce, while the occupation carries out near-daily raids, assassinations, and occasional attacks on Beirut's Southern Suburb.
This week, an Israeli drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle in southern Lebanon, killing a man and his wife and injuring four other people.
Israeli warplanes also carried out a series of airstrikes on the heights overlooking the town of Zighrin in the Hermel border region of eastern Lebanon, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the Bekaa.
