Lebanese judicial authorities are continuing their investigation into Mohammad Saleh, a religious singer known for his close ties to Hezbollah, who was recently arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Judicial sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that the probe remains underway and has entered a technical phase, as investigators await the results of digital forensic analysis on electronic devices seized from Saleh at the time of his arrest. The data retrieved will be cross-referenced with other intelligence sources, a process that is expected to take weeks.

Deep Ties to Mossad

According to the same sources, preliminary findings suggest that Saleh was “deeply involved” with Mossad, and is alleged to have received large sums of money, including payments in Bitcoin, in exchange for highly sensitive information. The intelligence he reportedly provided included the identities and locations of Hezbollah commanders, military sites, and operational plans in southern Lebanon.

Dozens of Other Suspects

Saleh’s case is far from isolated. Judicial sources confirmed that dozens of individuals are currently in custody in Lebanon on similar charges of collaborating with Israel. However, investigators believe the suspects were recruited separately and not as part of a single organized network.

Telecom Surveillance and Missed Warnings

Since 2008, Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch has been monitoring telecommunications data, which has uncovered evidence of communications between individuals affiliated with Hezbollah and Israeli intelligence.

Political analyst Majid Mattar, speaking to Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, said that the Information Branch offered to share its findings with Hezbollah’s leadership, specifically with Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit.

“However, Hezbollah’s arrogance prevented it from accepting that Israeli agents might exist within its own community,” he said. “They refused to believe that anyone from their support base could be working for Israel.”

Mattar also revealed that one of the suspected agents ran a travel agency that organized religious pilgrimages. By offering flexible payment options for religious pilgrimages, he was able to build trust within Hezbollah’s support base and gain access to sensitive information, including details from the homes of senior party officials.

Hezbollah’s Internal Unit 900

Hezbollah traditionally handles internal espionage cases through its own intelligence wing, known as Unit 900, which is responsible for investigating and punishing collaborators. Suspects are typically subjected to rigorous interrogations, including polygraph tests.

Observers were surprised that in Saleh’s case, the investigation is being handled by Lebanese state authorities rather than Hezbollah’s own security apparatus.

According to Mattar, this is not unusual when the accused holds no official rank within the party.

“Hezbollah hands over lower-ranking suspects to the state for interrogation — always in coordination with its own leadership. But if the individual is a senior figure, they keep the matter in-house.”

Shock Among Supporters

The arrest of Saleh on April 28 stunned Hezbollah’s supporters, many of whom took to social media to express disbelief and anger. The party has long claimed that it is immune to Israeli infiltration, frequently accusing its political rivals of harboring collaborators.

Photos shared online over the past week show Saleh posing with Hezbollah fighters, many of whom were killed since October 2023. In several of the images, he had written personal tributes mourning their deaths.

Saleh was reportedly arrested following a tip-off from the manager of a money transfer outlet in the Beirut suburb of Ghobeiry, where he had been working.