Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora
Photo: AP
Lebanon asks UN to censure Israel for extracting spies
On heels of espionage accusations, Beirut asks UN Security Council to condemn Jerusalem for allegedly smuggling its spies out of Lebanese jurisdiction once their activities were compromised
WASHINGTON – Lebanon relayed a communiqué to the UN Security Council and the General Assembly on Friday, accusing Israel of alleged espionage within its borders and with extracting its spies once they were compromised.
The letter claimed that Israel smuggled several of its spies out of Beirut's jurisdiction, along with their families, on at least three occasions last month.
Spy Games
Roee Nahmias
In speech in honor of ninth anniversary of IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon, Hizbullah chief calls for execution of 'agents' who allegedly worked for Israel in country. He also urges 'spies' who have yet to be captured to turn themselves in
In late May, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced his country had filed an official complaint with the UN regarding Israel's "deployed spies in Lebanon."
Lebanese Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam demanded the UN censure Israel for "gravely violating" UN Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War.
"On order of my government I wish to hereby inform you that on May 7, 17 and 18, Israeli forces allowed Lebanese citizens suspected of cooperating with the Israeli enemy passage into the occupied Palestinian territories," he wrote in a letter addressed to Turkish Ambassador Baki İlkin, who is currently serving as the Security Council's president.
The letter goes on to detail the names of all of the alleged suspects, as well as their assumed escape routes to Israel.
With the general elections nearing in Beirut, the last few weeks have seen Lebanese authorities arrest dozens of suspects presumed to be Israeli Intelligence spies. As Lebanon considers Israel an enemy state, a conviction on espionage charges mat carry the death sentence.
