Report: Hezbollah leader says CIA recruited members as spies

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says his group found three spies within the organization
Two were recruited by the CIA, he says
Nasrallah accuses the CIA of acting on behalf of Israel
The US embassy in Beirut says the claims are without substance

(CNN) -- The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon said Friday that his organization had uncovered three spies within its ranks, two of which had been recruited by the CIA, Lebanon's state news agency reported.

The US embassy in Beirut has dismissed the report as "empty accusations".

Hassan Nasrallah declined to give the names of the suspected spies, offering their initials instead, said Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).

"The first name is A.B. This person was recruited five months ago by a CIA officer. He confessed his relation to the CIA after (Hezbollah's relevant) body found out about him," NNA reported Nasrallah said.

The agency reported the second spy, "H.M.," was recruited by the CIA before "A.B." Nasrallah referred to the third accused spy as "M.A.," NNA reported.

"We confirmed that he collaborated with a foreign body, and we are still investigating which one," Nasrallah said about the third suspected spy, according to the agency.

The Hezbollah leader stressed that none of the individuals involved in spying was a high-ranking official and, as such, were not in a position to harm the organization, NNA reported.

Nasrallah accused the CIA of acting at the insistence of Israel, according to the agency. Hezbollah and Israel fought a brief war in 2006.

The United States considers Hezbollah, which has close ties to Iran and Syria, to be a terrorist organization. The group is a political party and a major provider of social services in Lebanon, in addition to operating a militant wing.

"When Israel failed to infiltrate Hezbollah, it asked the help of the CIA," Nasrallah said, according to NNA.

A US embassy spokesperson in Beirut rejected Nasrallah's reported claims.

"These are the same kinds of empty accusations that we have heard repeatedly from Hezbollah. There is no substance to his accusations.

"It appears as if Nasrallah was addressing internal problems within Hezbollah with which we have nothing to do. Our position towards Hezbollah is well known and has not changed."