WAR: Israeli Aircraft Destroys spying device in southern Lebanon — reports

Israeli drones struck a spy device in southern Lebanon on Sunday night, according to Lebanese media reports.

The Naharnet news site said the explosion was heard in the southern town of Zrariyeh, near the Litani River, amid “heavy overflights” by Israeli drones.

Lebanese Armed Forces were called to the scene and opened an investigation into the incident, the report said.

Media reports on Sunday also said that Israeli war planes were spotted over the southern cities of Marjayoun and Tyre.

It was unclear whether the alleged spying device was Lebanese or Israeli.

There was no comment from the Israel Defense Forces.

Lebanese officials have claimed to find Israeli listening devices in Lebanon before, including one last year, two in 2015, and two in 2010 that were found hidden in rocks.

Israel withdrew from the so-called South Lebanon Security Belt — a strip of land several kilometers wide along the Lebanese-Israeli border on Lebanon’s side — in a hastily organized operation in May 2000, after maintaining a presence there since the First Lebanon War in 1982.

Last year, the Lebanese army claimed it uncovered two separate Israeli spying networks operating in the country.

In January 2017, security officials said they had apprehended members of an Israeli spy cell made up of a Lebanese citizen, a Palestinian refugee, and two Nepalese women. In May, Lebanese media reported that an Iraqi man was arrested and confessed to providing Israel information about the Lebanese army and government officials.

Dov Lieber contributed to this report.