Lebanese PM dismisses Mossad capture rumors after hotel phone check
Two men from Ramallah were detained and released after using Israeli phone codes for a Beirut hotel booking, sparking brief security alarm.
By Julia Morgan ·
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called reports of an Israeli spy capture fake on Sunday. He stated that hostile parties spread the story to damage his reputation and mislead the public.
Security forces detained two men from Ramallah after they used phone numbers with Israeli country codes to reserve rooms at the Lancaster Eden Bay hotel in Beirut. An Uber driver and hotel staff alerted authorities to the unusual booking details.
Officials questioned the pair and confirmed both had entered Lebanon legally. The men had visited the country before and were released after the check. No Israeli operatives were found.
Salam’s office described the rumors as a cheap attempt to tarnish the government's image. The prime minister criticized the situation as a display of moral bankruptcy. A separate rumor that the men were deported instead of held also circulated, drawing anger from anti-Israel voices.
The incident follows heightened security concerns in Lebanon. Tensions rose after the September 2024 pager plot, where thousands of booby-trapped devices exploded across Lebanon and Syria. Hezbollah confirmed that most casualties were its members, though civilians also suffered life-altering injuries.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
