A second Lebanese journalist has been arrested by the army intelligence for links with Israel, said reports.
Al Jazeera satellite channel quoted the army as saying that the name of Habib Younes, the editorial secretary of the London-based Al Hayat in Beirut, was mentioned frequently during interrogation with Antoine Bassil, an MBC TV correspondent arrested on Thursday.
However, the journalists' union said in a statement that the director of military intelligence Gen. Raymond Azar had contacted the union's president, Melhem Karam, to inform him of Younes' arrest "before he could go to Cyprus Sunday to meet with (Odid) Zaray," an Israeli official.
The arrests came as part of an ongoing crackdown on anti-Syrian Christian activists.
Younes was arrested by Lebanese army intelligence on Saturday at his home near Beirut, Al Hayat said, cited by AFP.
Zaray was the press attaché for activities in southern Lebanon for Israel, which retreated from the area in May 2000 after 22 years of occupation.
The statement said Karam rejected the accusation against Younes, after checking out the allegation with the paper, which denied them, and called for Younes and Bassil to be set free.
Bassil is accused of having arranged a meeting between Zaray and Toufiq Hindi, an official of the outlawed Lebanese Forces, who faces charges of collaboration with Israel.
More than 200 anti-Syrian activists have been rounded up this month, triggering criticism that Lebanon is turning into a "police state."
The Christian activists object to Syria's enormous troop presence in Lebanon, as well as its involvment in internal politics – Albawaba.com
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