Syria, Lebanon expose Israeli spy cells

A number of Israeli espionage cells have been identified in Syria and Lebanon following the confessions of an Egyptian national accused of spying for Israel.

Tareq Abdul Razzak, a 37-year-old businessman who was arrested in May, is accused of having spied for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, since 2007.

Razzak is accused of accepting money from the Israelis in exchange for identifying Egyptians working for telecommunications companies in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria, who could be recruited to spy for Tel Aviv.

During the interrogations, Razzak confessed that over the past three years, he had paid several visits to the Syrian capital of Damascus with a fake passport and identity under the guise of business trips for delivering sums of money to a Syrian holding a “sensitive” post with the security services.

According to al-Shuruk daily, Abdul Razzak has provided investigators with copies of reports he passed on to Mossad from a Syrian security official in connection with a Syrian nuclear program.

The Syrian official has reportedly been arrested. Tareq Abdul Razzak is to be tried in Egypt’s High Security Court on charges of harming Egyptian national interests. Egypt is one of the two Arab states, which has diplomatic relations with Israel.

More than 100 people have been arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of spying for Israel since April 2009 among whom are telecom employees, members of security forces and active duty troops.

Less than two weeks ago, the Lebanese army dismantled two Israeli spy systems planted in the mountains near the capital, Beirut.

The long-range Israeli surveillance device — found in Mount Sannine — covered the towns of the western and central Bekaa Valley, towns in southern Lebanon, and parts of Syria.

There were no statements about the second device found in Mount Barouk and the army only said that it was “more complicated.”

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman is preparing to submit an official complaint to the United Nations Security Council over Israeli espionage activities in Lebanon, which is technically in a state of war with Israel.