Israeli soldier, spies arrested
2010-06-30 19:07
Jerusalem - An Israeli soldier and several civilians have been arrested for allegedly passing information to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and smuggling drugs across the border, the army said on Wednesday.
"It is suspected that an IDF warrant officer and a number of Israeli civilians were in contact with Lebanese drug dealers so as to smuggle drugs over the border," a statement said.
"According to the investigation, it is alleged that the warrant officer passed on military-security information to Lebanese drug dealers, connected to the Hezbollah terror organisation," it said.
The statement, which did not identify the soldier or give further details on the civilians or their number, said charges would be filed in the coming days.
Lebanon has arrested more than 70 people since launching a major crackdown in April 2009 against suspected Israeli spy networks, including a number of high-profile arrests of security force members.
Israel launched a deadly offensive against Hezbollah in 2006 and Lebanon and the Jewish state remain technically in a state of war.
