The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) allegedly helped a Mossad spy escape from detention in Lebanon by bombing a nearby building. The man, a Syrian-Palestinian national who also holds a Ukrainian citizenship, escaped the prison and sought refuge in the Ukrainian Embassy, according to reports.
The detail came to light after Lebanon asked Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut to hand over the man, who Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy group, believes worked with Israel’s Mossad spy agency, AFP quoted a senior security official and a Hezbollah source.
The alleged spy is accused of parking a motorbike on a road leading to Beirut airport, an area under the control of Hezbollah. The motorbike was planted with an explosive device disguised as a battery, the report said, adding that he was arrested by Hezbollah and imprisoned. Five other members of the group were also arrested along with him.
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Two days later, the Ukrainian Embassy contacted the head of general security, Hassan Choukeir, requesting authorisation for its citizen who had lost his passport to leave through Beirut airport. However, on checking his name and photograph, Hezbollah realised that he was the same person who was wanted by the Lebanese. Choukeir told AFP that authorities told the embassy it was obliged to hand the man over, adding he was “wanted for involvement in a cell belonging to Israel’s Mossad planning assassinations and bombings in Beirut’s southern suburbs.”
It was unclear whether the Ukrainian Embassy took a favourable step in this regard.
