Under Cover of an Israeli Strike, Hezbollah Captive and Suspected Spy Escapes and Vanishes, Report Says

Khaled al-Aidi was held in an unusual arrangement by the terror organization and was considered highly important to it. He is accused of belonging to a criminal cell run by the Mossad that planned attacks in Lebanon. His escape could ignite a dangerous internal conflict in the Cedar Republic.

While Israeli Air Force jets struck Beirut’s Dahiya district in March and many residents fled in panic, one man used the chaos to escape from the place where Hezbollah was holding him. According to an AP report, the man managed to leave the facility where he was detained, reach the hills overlooking Lebanon’s capital, and disappear inside the Ukrainian embassy compound in the Baabda area.

The man, identified by Lebanese authorities as Khaled al-Aidi, is a Palestinian refugee from Syria who also holds Ukrainian citizenship. He was held by Hezbollah after being accused of involvement in a spy network that allegedly worked for Israel and planned attacks and assassinations in Lebanon. According to Lebanese legal and security sources, al-Aidi was held in Beirut’s suburbs and was regarded by Hezbollah as a suspect of special importance.

Since he disappeared, al-Aidi’s whereabouts remain unknown. The affair has become part of the ongoing struggle by Hezbollah and the authorities in Lebanon against spy networks suspected of working for Israel and infiltrating the organization. The case could also have political consequences.

The Lebanese government has said almost nothing publicly about the affair, but if it emerges that al-Aidi managed to flee the country with help from official figures, it could deepen tensions with Hezbollah supporters in the Shiite camp. Tensions between the government and Hezbollah are already high because of the direct contacts the state is holding with Israel over the ceasefire and security arrangements.

A Lebanese government document obtained by AP shows that the Ukrainian embassy approached Lebanese authorities in March and asked them to help al-Aidi leave the country after his escape. However, Lebanon’s General Security Directorate rejected the request, saying that an arrest warrant had already been issued against him in September 2025.

A Ukrainian source familiar with the details would not say where al-Aidi is now, and the Mossad and the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv declined to comment on the report. The Ukrainian source said the man is not in the Ukrainian embassy in Lebanon or in the embassy compound, but declined to say whether he had been there previously or whether Ukraine helped him escape.

Over the years, Israel has developed extensive intelligence networks in Lebanon, enabling it to carry out a series of operations against Hezbollah. Since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah in recent years, Lebanon has intensified its fight against spy networks. According to legal sources, about 50 people have already been convicted and sentenced to prison terms, while others are still under investigation.

Unlike other suspects in espionage, who were sometimes linked to Hezbollah or their families, al-Aidi was seen as an outsider to the organization. According to the Lebanese documents, he holds Ukrainian citizenship through his mother. It is not known how he was allegedly recruited to work for Israel.

Security sources said he entered Lebanon in August 2025 on a flight from Ethiopia. According to indictments filed with Lebanon’s military tribunal, different agents received between 2,500 and 20,000 dollars in exchange for information on Hezbollah weapons depots and political offices. According to legal sources, many of the suspects were recruited through social media, with Israel exploiting the country’s severe economic situation to lure potential collaborators.

In October, Lebanon’s General Security Directorate announced that it had uncovered a network that planned attacks and assassinations in the country, including an attack intended for memorial events marking one year since the death of Hassan Nasrallah. The authorities found a motorcycle and a car prepared to carry explosives. Al-Aidi and six other Lebanese citizens were indicted in the case. Another defendant also managed to escape, while the rest are being held in Lebanese prison awaiting trial. Al-Aidi was the only one held by Hezbollah and not by the state, which may indicate his importance to the terror organization.

According to the military tribunal in Beirut, the operation was run by a Mossad handler living in Germany who communicated with those involved using encrypted applications. The court sent a summons to the Ukrainian embassy, but received no reply.

Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa claimed that there was a failed attempt to smuggle al-Aidi from Lebanon to Syria, but gave no further details. Two senior figures in Lebanon’s security establishment assessed that al-Aidi has already left Lebanon, although it is unclear whether he crossed into Syria. According to them, the Syrian authorities also do not have information on his whereabouts.

His disappearance continues to stir controversy in Lebanon. Experts assess that if the state is seen as having helped him escape, it could provoke public anger among Hezbollah supporters and worsen internal tensions in the country.