In a chilling revelation that reads straight out of a spy thriller, a recent report from the Lebanese newspaper “Al-Akhbar” has uncovered a dangerous web of espionage operating within Lebanon’s borders. According to judicial sources cited in the report, an investigative judge has issued warrants for two individuals suspected of espionage activities on behalf of Israel.

The shocking discovery exposes a meticulously planned operation that allegedly played a role in the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the Deputy Chief of Hamas’ Political Bureau, earlier this year. The suspects’ activities include detailed mapping of streets in a southern suburb of Beirut, a crucial piece in the puzzle of the targeted strike that claimed the lives of Arouri and six others.

The warrants were issued by Fadi Sawwan, the investigative judge at the military tribunal, following the detention of two Lebanese citizens found in possession of advanced digital mapping equipment. The main suspect, accompanied by another individual, both possessing expertise in computer engineering and telecommunications, allegedly received a substantial sum of $200,000 for their involvement in the operation.

Operating under the guise of a fictitious American company, the suspects are believed to have collaborated with Israeli intelligence, using their technical skills to conduct extensive surveillance activities. Their tasks included mapping out key areas of Beirut and its southern suburbs, meticulously documenting streets, buildings, businesses, vehicles, license plates, and even pedestrian details.

Of particular significance is the revelation that the suspects had mapped the very street where Saleh Arouri met his untimely demise, nearly two weeks before the fatal attack took place. This damning evidence suggests a chilling level of premeditation and coordination behind the operation.

Currently, the detained individuals face serious charges, including espionage for a foreign country and unauthorized acquisition of sensitive national security information. If found guilty, they could face life imprisonment for their alleged involvement in one of the most perilous spy networks operating within Lebanon.

Who was Saleh al-Arouri?

Saleh al-Arouri’s killing in Beirut on Jan 2nd, 20204, marks the start of an assassination campaign abroad that Israeli officials had been promising for several months.

The target, one of the most senior Hamas leaders and the group’s primary liaison with Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, was picked with great care. Arouri was also well-known in the West Bank, which is under occupation and has seen an increase in violence in recent times.

Additionally, according to some Israeli officials, the 57-year-old may have been aware of the plot to carry out violent attacks inside Israel prior to the October 7 attack, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis, the majority of them civilians.

Around the middle of the 1980s, when these ideologies were becoming more and more popular throughout the Middle East, Arouri was a student at Hebron University and got involved in activism. In the immediate wake of the first intifada, he joined Hamas shortly after it was founded and contributed to the formation of the Izz al-Din al-Qassem brigades, which is Hamas’s military wing.

The US Treasury connected Arouri to multiple terrorist strikes, hijackings, and kidnappings in 2015 and accused him of sponsoring and overseeing Hamas’s military operations in the West Bank. The United States labelled Arouri a worldwide terrorist and offered $5 million for information that would result in his capture.

Arouri met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah shortly after the October 7 attacks to talk about plans for attaining “real victory in their war with Israel.

The Attack

Israel said nothing about the attack on the Hamas office in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on January 2, which is reported to have killed seven people, including the terror chief.

On Jan 2nd, an explosion rocked the southern suburbs of the capital of Lebanon, which are home to Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas. To the south of Beirut, on Hadi Nasrallah Street, the explosion resulted in a fire.
Hamas confirmed that the explosion, which targeted a third-floor apartment believed to be the terror group’s office, claimed the lives of seven people in total. The others, aside from Arouri, were identified as Hamas leaders Mahmoud Shaheen, Muhammad Bashasha, Muhammad al-Rayes, and Ahmed Hammoud, as well as military commanders Samir Findi and Azzam Al-Aqraa.