'Lebanese colonel arrested; Qahwaji Says Traitors Must Be Punished

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A Lebanese army colonel has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel amid attempts in the country to dismantle Israeli espionage networks, security sources say.

"A colonel serving with the army has been detained by army intelligence as part of the crackdown on Israeli spy networks uncovered throughout the country," AFP quoted a security official as saying on Tuesday.

AFP said the colonel has been identified as Mansour Diab. The Lebanese military command has not yet confirmed the arrest.

Over the last two months, Lebanese security forces have launched a crackdown on espionage activities and have arrested at least 30 suspects. A total of 21 people have been charged with spying, including three on Tuesday.

On Friday, the Secretary General of the Hezbollah movement Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah called on officials to totally dismantle the Israeli spy networks in the country.

Lebanon has also asked the United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon to help return two suspected Lebanese spies who fled to Israel last week.

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Posted by JNOUBIYEH at 2:38 PM

More Agents Arrested; Qahwaji Says Traitors Must Be Punished
Hussein Assi

27/05/2009 Day after another, more "surprises" seem to be awaiting Lebanese in the Mossad-linked spying cells' file, at the time the mentioned networks head towards complete collapse…

The latest "surprise" in the file came with the arrest of a Lebanese army Colonel on suspicion of spying for the Zionist entity…

Lebanese Army commander General Jean Qahwaji, however, immediately perceived the seriousness of the shocking news and warned against seeking to protect any traitor and agent.

Indeed, Lebanese daily As-Safir quoted Qahwaji as telling the members of the military council on Tuesday that whoever deviates from the country's national interest is believed to be a traitor regardless of his religion, region or institution.

"It's impossible to underestimate the agents and forgive them," he said, adding that all agents and traitors must be punished "especially when they seek to violate the military institution, the institution that guarantees stability and civil peace for all Lebanese."

Meanwhile, a security source told Al-Manar that Colonel Mansour H. was arrested five days ago on suspicion of spying for Israel. According to the sources, investigations with Mansour H. are still at the early stages.

Lebanese daily As-Safir earlier said investigation focused on how the arrested coloned, a resident of Antelias, was recruited to work for the Israeli secret service, Mossad, and what tasks where given to him.

It said among the questions that are likely to be raised are:
- Was the agent asked to facilitate the entry and exit of Israeli troops via maritime routes when he was working for the Lebanese army Special Navy Forces at that time?
- Did he facilitate the entry of what is known as the "dead mail"?

As Safir said the Army colonel, who hails from the northern town of Idbil in the Akkar province, is married and has a daughter and a son. The Lebanese daily said Diab's opening to Israel likely took place in the first half of the 1990s.

In a related development, security forces on Tuesday arrested two Palestinians – Samir al-Hajj from Ain el-Hilweh and Khaled al-Kun from Mieh Mieh – in addition to Mahmoud Serhal from Baissariyeh.

IDBIL FAMILIES: OUR TOWN IS A RESISTANCE STRONGHOLD


Meanwhile, the families of Idbil town issued a statement in which they declared that disavow the betrayal of Colonel Mansour Diab. "Our town is believed to be the town of the Resistance martyrs' and one of the Resistance's strongholds," the statement said.

Idbil families called on all concerned parties and media panels to be just with the town and not mention it while talking about spying and betrayal. "The mentioned person didn't live in Idbil and chose to himself a different environment," the statement noted, adding that "he was also part of a militia that dealt with the Zionist entity before entering the military institution."

"At the end, the appropriate place for all traitors and agents is the history's dunghill because they are mark of disgrace at the forehead of the country," the statement concluded.