Israeli soldier convicted of spying for Hizbullah

An Israeli court martial today convicted an army tracker from the Jewish state's Arab minority of spying for Lebanon's Hizbullah militant group.

The court convicted Master Sergeant Louai Balut of passing Hizbullah guerrillas information by telephone about Israeli troop deployments along the Lebanese border. He also took part in cross-border drug deals, the court said.

Balut (35) was sentenced to 11 years in prison and discharged from the Israeli army. He had denied the charges.

Israel fought a 34-day war with Hizbullah in 2006 and tensions remain high despite the presence of UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon.

Arabs make up about 20 per cent of Israel's population, and although they seldom take up arms, they can voice sympathy with Hizbullah and Palestinian militant groups based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Reuters