Report: ‘Prisoner X’ spy tipped off Hezbollah

SYDNEY (JTA) – The man known as Prisoner X unwittingly leaked classified information to Lebanese authorities, leading to the arrest of two Hezbollah agents who were spying for Israel.

Ben Zygier, an Australian-Israeli citizen who was working for the Mossad, botched an attempt to recruit a spy for the agency, according to an expose in Der Spiegel.

Zygier was attempting to restore his reputation in the Mosad by attempting to turn an enemy into an ally, according to the magazine. He had been returned from the field to a desk job at Mossad headquarters.

In the end, however, Hezbollah managed to extract from Zygier the name of two Lebanese men working for Mossad — Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh — who were arrested in 2009 and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

The report said Zygier started working with the Mossad in 2003 but was ordered back to Israel in 2007 because he was not delivering for the spy agency. He returned to Melbourne and operated independently in an attempt to restore his reputation, the magazine claimed.

But as he tried to prove his bona fides to a man linked to Hezbollah who he wanted to become a double agent, he was the one who became the double agent, leaking the classified information.

On Dec. 15, 2010, the 34-year-old father of two was found dead in his Tel Aviv cell. Later reports said he hanged himself.

Israel places closure on West Bank for Passover
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli military imposed a general closure of the West Bank through the end of Passover.

The closure went into effect at midnight Sunday and will remain into effect until the night of April 2, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces. It was ordered by the minister of defense in accordance with IDF assessments, the statement said.

Those in need of medical attention or humanitarian aid, or in exceptional cases, will be allowed to leave the West Bank with the authorization of the Civil Administration, according to the IDF.