Iran to free Lebanese man jailed for 'US spying'

Nizar Zakka was arrested in September 2015 during a visit to Iran and sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of spying for Washington.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

09 June, 2019

Nizar Zakka was arrested in September 2015 [Twitter]

A Lebanese national who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2015 is expected to arrive in Beirut within 48 hours, local media reported on Sunday.

The head of the General Security Maj Gen Abbas Ibrahim flew to Tehran to secure Zakka's release, Lebanon's Daily Star reported.

Nizar Zakka, a resident of the United States in his 50s, was arrested in September 2015 during a visit to Iran and sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of spying for Washington.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministry in Beirut announced Zakka was pardoned at the request of Beirut as a gesture for this week's Eid holidays marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

At the time of his arrest, state television in Iran charged Zakka had "deep ties to military and intelligence services of the United States", Iran's arch-foe.

It broadcast photographs of a man in military uniform it said was of Zakka at an American base.

The report on his imminent release following almost four years of detention comes at a time of heightened US-Iranian tensions.

Washington last month deployed an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers and an amphibious assault ship to the Gulf, along with additional troops over an alleged Iranian plan to attack US assets.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab