Turkey refused Israeli request not to hand over spy to Lebanon

The Turkish authorities rejected an Israeli request not to hand over to Lebanon a spy suspected of being behind the assassination attempt against a Hamas official, Sama news agency reported on Friday.

According to media reports, Turkey handed over Mohamed Baytiyeh to the Lebanese interior security services after he was arrested in Istanbul. An extradition treaty is in place between Ankara and Beirut.

On Friday evening, Lebanon announced that Baytiyeh is the main suspect in the attempted assassination of Mohamed Hamdan last week in the city of Sidon. Baytiyeh is said to be part of a 4-member cell. The other members of the group are believed to be out of the country.

Read: Hezbollah accuses Israel of Sidon bombing

Lebanon has accused Israel of being responsible for ordering the assassination, Lebanese media have reported. The government in Beirut has not said what action it will now take in this regard.