The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, accused Souheil Bahij Harb, head of military intelligence in southern Lebanon, of cooperating with Hezbollah to cover up the killing of Irish UN peacekeeper Sean Rooney in Aaqibiyé.
Avichay Adraee © IDF
The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, accused Souheil Bahij Harb, head of military intelligence in southern Lebanon, of cooperating with Hezbollah to cover up the killing of Irish UN peacekeeper Sean Rooney in Aaqibiyé.
Adraee alleged on X that Harb “regularly communicated with Hezbollah members” to obstruct the Lebanese army’s investigation and shield suspects in the December 2022 attack. A Lebanese court last month sentenced a Hezbollah-linked man to death in absentia for the killing.
The Lebanese army swiftly rejected the claims, calling them “false” and stressing that its officers “carry out their duties with integrity and professionalism.” The statement noted that Harb had coordinated closely with UNIFIL to clarify the incident.
The army further accused Israel of “continuing daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty” and spreading lies aimed at destabilizing the country.
The Israeli prime minister's office said on Thursday that Israeli citizen Saleh Abu-Hussein, who was detained in Lebanon for about a year, returned to Israel following negotiations with the help of the Red Cross.
Top U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack said on Monday Israel should comply with a plan under which Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of the year in exchange for a halt to Israel's military operations in Lebanon.
Hezbollah raised the spectre of civil war with a warning on Friday there would be "no life" in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group.
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