Context
Dozens of US spies have been captured in Lebanon and Iran. Current and former US officials on Monday admitted Hezbollah had identified and captured a number of US spies. The US Embassy in Lebanon has officially denied the capture. However officials’ claim that two spy rings of the CIA have been discovered by Hezbollah. The personnel were being used to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.
According to reports by ABC news, the US officials used the codeword “Pizza” when discussing the informants. It is suggested meetings at a local Beirut Pizza Hut with the informants helped Hezbollah identify the spies.
The State Department last year described Hezbollah as “the most technically capable terrorist group in the world.” $100-$200 million funding is received by the group from Iran annually. Former CIA officials have blamed the group’s focus on getting immediate results to have affected its ability to outmaneuver terrorist organizations.
