BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A high-ranking member of Hezbollah has disappeared amid allegations that top officials in the resistance group were working with Israel, sources said.
Sources in Lebanon told London's pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that five senior members of Hezbollah were believed to be working with the Israelis. A high-ranking official identified only as "M.S." is apparently missing and four of the five have been detained on "suspicion of collaborating with Israel."
The official, the London newspaper said, was recently questioned by authorities in relation to the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
A U.N.-backed tribunal accused four members of Hezbollah of playing a role in the Hariri assassination. Hezbollah claims evidence obtained through cellphone records suggests Israel played a role because the Shiite group says Israelis are working inside the Lebanese telecommunications sector.
U.S. authorities in Beirut have warned U.S. citizens in the country to be wary of a "surge in demonstrations" as Palestinian leaders Friday launch a statehood bid at the United Nations.
U.S. citizens were further advised to avoid camps inside Lebanon housing Palestinian refugees, according to e-mail statements obtained by The Daily Star newspaper in Beirut.
Washington and some of its Western allies opposed the unilateral Palestinian initiative, saying a long-stalled negotiation process with Israel is the best course of action.
