Lebanon calls spy arrest story fake

Lebanese officials rejected rumors on Sunday that Israeli Mossad agents had been captured in the country. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam labeled the claims fake news in a statement from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The detention stemmed from two Palestinian men from Ramallah whose phone numbers carried Israeli country codes. Security forces questioned the pair and determined they had entered Lebanon legally and had visited the country before.

Salam accused hostile parties of stoking the rumors to tarnish his reputation. His office described the effort as a cheap attempt to mislead public opinion.

Reports from the independent outlet Beirut Time indicated the suspicion began at the Lancaster Eden Bay hotel in Beirut. The men used Israeli numbers to book their stay, which alerted an Uber driver and hotel staff who contacted authorities.

A separate rumor circulated the next day claiming Salam had deported the men instead of holding them. That claim drew anger from anti-Israel voices in Lebanon.

Concern over Mossad activity in Lebanon has grown since the pager plot of September 2024. In that operation, thousands of booby-trapped pagers exploded across Lebanon and Syria, killing and wounding thousands of Hezbollah members and civilians.