ILoubnan - Second Israeli telecom's spy & arrested in Lebanon

Lebanon has arrested a suspected accomplice of a telecom technician who stands charged with spying for Israel, a source close to the investigation said on Thursday.
"A Lebanese citizen named Tarek al-Rabaa was arrested four days ago and he is likely an accomplice of Charbel Azzi at the company Alfa," one of Lebanon's two mobile service providers, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The source's comments came after the high-profile arrest of Charbel Azzi, a technician at Alfa, last month, as part of a national crackdown on suspected Israeli espionage rings.

Reports on Thursday said Rabaa was a transmission engineer. The Lebanese government has so far declined to give any details on the arrest.

Defence Minister Elias Murr confirmed "a new arrest" at a cabinet meeting late Wednesday, State Minister Jean Ogassapian told reporters in response to a question.

In a television interview on Thursday, Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas said there was a "high probability of a crack" in Lebanon's telecom network. "The ministry is setting up a preliminary safety network to lock the doors that may have been leaking information," he added.

Azzi is charged with "entering enemy territory, collaborating with Israel and providing it with information." He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Lebanon and Israel remain technically at a state of war, and convicted spies face life in prison with hard labour or the death penalty if found guilty of contributing to Lebanese loss of life.

Lebanon has arrested more than 70 people on suspicion of spying for Israel, including security officials, since it launched a crackdown in April 2009. Two Lebanese citizens have since been sentenced to death for "collaborating with Israel and providing information on targets." Israel has not commented on the arrests.