Lebanon charged four people with collaborating with Israel on Saturday, raising to 23 the number of suspected spies who have been charged in the last few months, a court official said. Since the recent crackdown began in April, Lebanon has arrested 35 people on suspicion of spying for Israel, the country's archenemy, Lebanese police commander Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi told The Associated Press.
Military prosecutor Saqr Saqr charged four men Saturday with ``collaborating with the Israeli enemy, aiding its forces and providing it with information about civilian and military positions and political and party figures,' said a court official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media. Israel has refused in the pass to comment on the spying allegations.
Some of the 23 people who have been charged are still at large. The four who were charged Saturday included the deputy mayor of a town in eastern Lebanon. The others include a Lebanese army colonel, a former security general, two members of the Lebanese security forces, a math teacher, a truck driver and a housewife.