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Report: Hizbullah Busting Alleged Israeli Spy Cells Using Tools Provided to Lebanese by the West

(Los Angeles Times) Borzou Daragahi - In April 2009, the chief of Lebanon's U.S.-backed Internal Security Forces, Achraf Rifi, warned Hizbullah security chief Wafiq Safa that two trusted, mid-ranking Hizbullah commanders were working as informants for Israeli military intelligence. The two were never heard from again. The Lebanese government is helping Hizbullah bust alleged spy cells, sometimes using tools and tradecraft acquired from Western nations eager to build up Lebanon's security forces. "There are deep Israeli worries that anything the West gives the Lebanese armed forces and the Internal Security Forces could be used against them," said Mara Karlin, a former Lebanon specialist at the U.S. Defense Department. Since 2006, Washington has given nearly $500 million in military aid to Lebanese security forces. Lebanon has redirected for use against Israel signal-detection equipment donated by France and intended to fight Islamic militants. Israeli analyst Ronen Bergman said the U.S. gave Lebanon's army sophisticated electronic equipment that allowed it to identify and trace even encrypted communications.
2010-08-02 10:00:51
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