Suleiman accuses Israel of spying

MADRID, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Michel Suleiman accused Israel of spying on his country in violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.

Suleiman told reporters during his official visit to meet with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero that Israel had violated U.N. resolutions by spying on Lebanon.

Hezbollah said it "managed to uncover a spy device" in south Lebanon that it claimed Israel planted following the 34-day conflict with militants in the Shiite resistance movement in 2006.

"The spying gear was planted on a telecommunication cable that was placed after the 2006 July war," Hezbollah said in statements on its al-Manar news network. "Right after the device was discovered, the Israeli enemy remotely destroyed the gear."

Suleiman said that regardless of whether Israel had intelligence assets inside the country or planted spy devices, the activity was in violation of its international obligations, Lebanese news portal Tayyar.org reports.

"Both these spy networks and these means of spying are a clear violation of Israel of Resolution 1701, even more so than the violation of Lebanese air space that is routinely carried out by Israel," he said.

Border tensions escalated between Lebanon and Israel during the summer with both sides complaining of illegal activity. U.N. Security Council Resolution 170, which helped broker a cease-fire to the 2006 conflict, calls on the Shiite resistance movement to lay down its weapons while urging Israel to respect Lebanese sovereignty.