Israel Arrests Seven on Charges of Spying for Hezbollah

Israeli police announced on Thursday, October 7, that they have identified and arrested seven residents of the occupied Golan Heights in northern Israel on charges of 'espionage' for Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to AFP, Mickey Rosenfeld, a spokesperson for the Israeli police, stated that these seven individuals were arrested last month during the discovery of a bag containing explosive devices near the Israeli city of 'Metula' in the north of the country. The indictment against them accuses these individuals of 'conspiracy' for the Hezbollah group, connections with foreign agents, arms trafficking, and drug smuggling. Israeli radio, citing the country's internal security agency, reported that a member of Hezbollah had 'ordered' the mentioned gang members to carry out bombings in the city of Haifa in northern Israel. 'Metula' is located near Haifa, the third largest city and the second industrial city in Israel. According to Israeli radio, a Jewish farmer discovered a large bag on his farm near the border with Lebanon last month, leading to the arrests of the mentioned Arabs by security and military forces. Since the 33-day war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah ten years ago, both sides have occasionally reported the discovery of bands linked to the 'enemy.' However, there has been complete calm along the borders of Israel with southern Lebanon over the past ten years. Six of the arrested individuals are Arabs residing in the 'Qajar' settlement. Among those arrested are three brothers and two cousins from the 'Qahmuz' tribe. Israeli security has stated that the father of these three brothers, named 'Saeb Qamouz,' fled to Lebanon during the ten-year war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah and has 'activated' his three sons and two nephews for Hezbollah. The Israeli police stated that explosives had been launched in packages from Lebanon, and one of the three brothers, named 'Diab Qahmuz,' had 'hidden' them since last spring while waiting to receive the packages on this side of the border. The report also mentions that members of this gang had surveyed locations, including near military bases in northern Israel, for targeting and had photographs of these targets on their mobile phones. The 'Qajar' settlement is divided between Israel and Lebanon based on the blue line drawn by the United Nations following the Israeli army's withdrawal from Lebanon in the spring of 2000. Residents of part of the 'Qajar' settlement that lies within Israeli territory are Alawite Muslims with roots and lineage from Syrian Alawites. Hezbollah has not responded to this report. Israeli army commander Gadi Eisenkot recently stated that Hezbollah poses the 'most tangible' threat to Israel, although Hezbollah forces have been present in recent years in defense of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, frequently states that his forces' capabilities against Israel have not been depleted and, on the contrary, the long experience of Hezbollah militants in Syria has better prepared them for any potential incidents with Israel.