All news

Lebanon issued arrest warrants for two Russian nationals accused of espionage – report

According to Naharnet, the investigating judge of the country's military tribunal, Fadi Sawwan, accused them of "crimes related to providing the Israeli enemy with information that endangers" Lebanese security

BEIRUT, August 28. /TASS/. Investigating judge of Lebanon's military tribunal Fadi Sawwan has issued arrest warrants for two Russian nationals, accusing them of spying for Israel, the Naharnet news website said.

The judge questioned the two and charged them with "crimes of dealing with the Israeli enemy by supplying security information that endangers Lebanon's security," the report said.

According to the website, Lebanese or Arab citizens accused of spying for Israel may be sentenced to death or receive a long prison term in Lebanon.

The Russian Embassy in Lebanon earlier told TASS that Russian diplomats were in contact with the local authorities over the detention of two Russian nationals.

The head of Lebanon's General Security Directorate Major General Elias Bayssari announced Friday that two foreigners had been detained while leaving Lebanon through the airport, describing them as "part of a network spying for Israel." A source at the General Security Directorate told the Al-Akhbar newspaper on August 26 that the directorate’s agents had detained a Russian national and his spouse two weeks before. The source said that the Russian nationals had been recruited by Israeli intelligence and traveled to Lebanon to gather classified information and photograph facilities used by the Shiite political party of Hezbollah.