CIA operations in Lebanon hit by arrests

The Los Angeles Times reported late Sunday that US Central Intelligence Agency operations in Lebanon have been rocked by the arrest of a series of informants. "Beirut station is out of business," an unnamed source told the daily, adding that “up to a dozen CIA informants have been compromised.” “US officials acknowledged that some CIA operations were suspended in Beirut last summer. It's unclear whether full operations have resumed. Beirut is considered a key watching post for turmoil in the Middle East,” the daily also reported. The paper also reported that the US House Intelligence Committee has been following up on the breach of Washington’s spying activities in Beirut. The source added that CIA officers had met their Lebanese informants at a Pizza Hut, “allowing Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities to identify who was helping the CIA.” Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah earlier in the year said that a number of his party’s members were arrested for collaborating with the CIA.