Two Lebanese colonels charged with spying for "Israel"

Source: AP, 15-6-2009

BEIRUT: A military prosecutor charged two Lebanese army colonels on Monday with collaborating with "Israel", raising the number of suspects arraigned in the past few weeks to more than 50, a court official said. Military prosecutor Saqr Saqr charged the two, who were arrested last month, with providing "Israel" with information about military and security positions, as well as civilian locations and aiding "Israeli" forces, the official said.

Lebanon considers itself at war with "Israel" and bans its citizens from having any contact with the Jewish state.
Spying for or collaborating with "Israel" can be punishable by death.
One of the two colonels was also charged with possessing unlicensed weapons and hand grenades, while the other was charged with illegally entering "Israel", the official said.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The two colonels were detained as part of a stepped-up campaign against suspected "Israeli" spies over the past two months that has produced about 100 arrests.
"Israel" has refused in the past to comment on Lebanon's spying allegations.

Suspects in security-related cases in Lebanon are often held for months before formal charges are filed. Those arrested have all been accused of providing intelligence to "Israel" on Hizbullah, which fought a 34-day war with "Israel" in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 159 in "Israel", mostly soldiers.

Several others who have been charged are also still at large, and Lebanese officials have said three suspected spies fled across the border to "Israel".