Two Palestinians detained in Lebanon over espionage suspicions

On October 26, 2026, authorities in Lebanon arrested two individuals at the Lancaster Eden Bay hotel in Beirut following reports of suspected espionage. The alarm was raised by hotel staff and an Uber driver after the men registered using telephone numbers with the Israeli country code +972. Initial reports and public rumors suggested the men were Mossad agents traveling on Turkish passports, leading to widespread anxiety and claims that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam had ordered their immediate deportation.

Subsequent investigations by security services clarified that the detained individuals were actually Palestinians from Ramallah, a region that utilizes the +972 dialing code. The office of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam confirmed that the two men had entered Lebanon legally, possessed valid return airline tickets, and had visited the country on previous occasions. The Prime Minister officially denied the rumors of them being foreign intelligence agents or that an extraordinary deportation order was necessary, as the legal investigation found no evidence of criminal activity or espionage.