Hizbollah man says he was double agent inside Mossad

The pro-Iranian Hizbollah group has held a news conference in Beirut to present a man they say worked for the Israeli secret service, Mossad, for two years, after being recruited in an Israeli jail.

The man, Moussa al-Zein, told journalists he was snatched by pro-Israeli militiamen in 1992 on the edge ofthe area of southern Lebanon controlled by Israel.

He said that after he was recruited by Mossad, he remained loyal to Hizbollah and became a double agent.

He had travelled for Mossad to the Far East and Europe, but fed the service false information about Hizbollah.

A Hizbollah spokesman said Mr al-Zein had returned to Lebanon with the help of Lebanese security officials.

The Israeli army denied an earlier claim by Hizbollah officials that Mr al-Zein had escaped from an Israeli prison.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service