Lebanon arrests 5 for alleged collaboration with Israel

By Wasim Saifuddin

BEIRUT (AA) - Lebanese authorities have arrested five people suspected of collaborating with Israel, according to a statement released Wednesday evening by Lebanon’s General Directorate for Public Security.

According to the security directorate, the five suspects include two Lebanese nationals, two Nepalese women and a Palestinian.

The directorate, however, refrained from saying when exactly the arrests had taken place.

"Those detained admitted to having contacted Israeli embassies in several countries by telephone with a view to working for them and providing them with information," the statement read.

It went on to assert that investigations had revealed that the two Nepalese women had worked to recruit housemaids in Lebanon for Israel by putting them in touch with the Jewish state’s embassy in Nepal.

"The suspects were referred to the relevant court after being questioned," the statement read, adding that efforts to find and arrest additional suspects "remain underway".

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment on the issue from Israeli officials.