
According to the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir, the Lebanese military captured an Israeli spy ring on Saturday. The two men, whose names were not released, supposedly confessed to being Mossad agents. The Lebanese military claims that it has been monitoring these agents for quite some time. They were said to have been in possession of technology and transmitter devices which proves that they were in contact with Israel. This spy ring has supposedly been operating since the late 1980s. It is believed that the men spent a great deal of time in the Western Beqaa Valley. Supposedly, the spys were focusing their espionage activities on Lebanese, Syrian, and Hizbullah military movements, outposts, and secure locations. In addition, the spy ring is believed to have been affiliated with the car-bombing of Hizbullah leader Mughniya in Damascus. The Israeli government has refused to comment on the supposed capture of Mossad agents.
Could it be? Did the Lebanese military really capture two Mossad agents? Its possible. Every country has spies everywhere; strategically you spy on your friends. After all, in an anarchic world order, today’s friends may be tomorrow’s enemies. All the more so with today’s enemies. Some spies even get caught. Eli Cohen, the Israeli Mossad agent who achieved high ranks in Syria, was caught (and gruesomely murdered). This supposed spy ring had been operating for 20 years. 20 Years! How did the Lebanese military only find them now? Did they get reckless? Did the slowly disintegrating Lebanese army suddenly get a lot better? Were they sold out? Or are they some poor schmuks who after days of torture confessed to being Mossad agents, and anything else they were asked to, including starting the Great Fire of London (which was in 1666)? As you may have noticed, I am, frankly, a bit skeptical that these individuals were, in fact, Mossad agents. Even without the the glaring questions of why weren’t their names released? how were they caught? why didn’t the Mossad pull them out of Lebanon if it seemed that their cover was blown? etc., there is still the unfortunate fact that almost every Arab country, at one point or other, has accused some random group of people of being Mossad agents or Israeli spies, and hanged them. In an Arab country, if you don’t like someone, call them an Israeli spy, and they’ll be “taken care of.”
This, however, reminds me of a joke. The CIA, Mossad, and Syrian Intelligence decided to play a game. Each would send 2 agents into a forest to find a special white rabbit. So in they went. After 1 hour, the Israelis returned with the rabbit. An hour later, the Americans returned, having determined that the Israelis had already captured the rabbit. An hour passed… two, and still the Syrians had not returned. The Israelis and Americans decided to mount a search party for their Syrian friends. In they went, were they found a donkey, with a black sack over its head, and all 4 legs tied to trees, being beaten by the Syrians. “Admit it!” shouted the Syrians, ” You’re a rabbit!”
**p.s. the picture at the top is not of real spies. Its from the movie Munich.