Israel has recruited hundreds of spies, making use of Lebanon's collapse

Indeed, the crises in Lebanon have always been the birth of inventions and innovations. Still, the recent economic crisis since 2019 was partly the birth of treason.

In 2019, it was the beginning of the collapse in Lebanon. An economic crisis, the lira's collapse, and then the explosion of the Beirut port. The crises prompted the Lebanese to search for a new source of livelihood to obtain hard currency.

It seems that the Israelis found a suitable opportunity in this, so they opened accounts for fake companies on social media, which receive job applications, and through which they target Lebanese people looking for work.

From 2019 until today, the security services have arrested 185 people suspected of dealing with Israel, 160 of whom have been referred to the judiciary, including sentences issued against twenty-five of them, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
 
Among the announced arrests were the arrests of 21 people a year ago in one week as part of a security operation to dismantle 17 spy networks for Israel.

Indeed, it is not the first time security services have stopped spying networks, but it is the largest.

The last time Lebanon witnessed a large number of arrests was between 2009 and 2014 when more than a hundred suspects were arrested.

According to LBCI's source, part of these two situations did not reach the level of providing information; rather, the matter was limited to communication. At the same time, it was found that two people sent e-mails to Mossad asking to work with them.

AFP also indicated that investigations showed Israelis were communicating directly with job applicants by phone.

A security source familiar with the investigations told AFP a number of those arrested admitted that they were initially unaware that they were working for Israel despite their suspicions. Still, they continued to do so out of their political rivalry with Hezbollah.

The economic collapse may not be the complete cause of treason, especially since it existed before the crisis, but what is certain is that this collapse contributed greatly to raising the level of despair and pushing some in directions that did not exist previously.