Report: Suspected Israeli Spy Escaped Hezbollah Detention During Israeli Strike in Beirut

Reports of air force strikes in Beirut's Dahiyeh, Lebanon / According to a report by the AP news agency, based on sources in Lebanon's security and judicial systems, a man suspected of spying for Israel who was detained by Hezbollah in Lebanon escaped custody during the Israeli strike on the suburbs of Beirut last March, and later arrived at Ukraine's embassy in the country. The man, Khaled al-Aidi, a Palestinian refugee from Syria who also holds Ukrainian citizenship, was accused of involvement in a plot attributed to Israeli intelligence to carry out attacks and assassinations in Lebanon. His current whereabouts are unknown.

A Lebanese government document obtained by the news agency indicates that Ukraine's embassy asked Lebanese authorities to allow al-Aidi to leave the country after he escaped Hezbollah detention. However, Lebanon's General Security directorate rejected the request, saying there was an arrest warrant against him issued in September 2025. The Mossad declined to comment on the report. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also declined to comment. A Ukrainian source familiar with the matter told AP that al-Aidi is not currently at the Ukrainian embassy or in the diplomatic compound, but refused to say where he is or address whether Kyiv assisted him.

According to Lebanese security and judicial sources, al-Aidi is one of seven defendants in the case exposed last October, in which a network allegedly operating for Israel was said to have planned attacks and assassinations in Lebanon. Authorities said that, as part of the investigation, vehicles and weapons intended for the alleged attacks were found. The six other suspects in the case were arrested and are awaiting trial, while al-Aidi escaped. Hezbollah sources say he was held by the organization because he was considered especially important to the investigation.

According to the indictment filed with Lebanon's military court, the network's operatives allegedly acted under the direction of a Mossad official living in Germany and communicated with him using encrypted applications. The case comes amid efforts by Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities to expose alleged spy networks working for Israel. According to legal sources, since the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024, dozens of people have been convicted of espionage offenses and others are still under investigation.

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