Lebanon denies capture of Mossad agents after Palestinian detention

Lebanese authorities on Sunday rejected claims that two Israeli Mossad operatives were detained in Beirut, labeling the reports as fabricated while two Palestinian men remained in custody.

The two men, both originating from Ramallah, were held after security forces identified Israeli country codes on their mobile devices. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized the situation, describing the surrounding narrative as a display of 'moral bankruptcy.' His office stated that hostile groups spread the rumors to damage the Prime Minister's reputation and confuse the public.

Officials confirmed that the pair entered Lebanon legally and had visited the country previously. Security teams questioned the men and found no evidence of covert operations.

The incident began when the men used Israeli numbers to reserve rooms at the Lancaster Eden Bay hotel in Beirut. According to the Beirut Time, an Uber driver and hotel staff members notified authorities, prompting an immediate investigation. Rumors circulated that the men held Turkish passports, but Lebanese officials did not confirm this detail.

By Monday, a second rumor emerged suggesting the government had deported the men rather than holding them. This claim sparked anger among anti-Israel factions within the country. The sensitivity to Israeli intelligence operations in Lebanon has intensified since September 2024, when thousands of booby-trapped pagers exploded across the region.

Hezbollah acknowledged that most casualties from the pager attack were its own members, though civilians also sustained severe injuries. The current detention follows this period of heightened security awareness regarding Israeli assets in the area.