Lebanese girl, 13, arrested after reporting alleged Hezbollah weapons at school to IDF

In late March, the IDF described the discovery of a large cache of weapons hidden inside a Lebanese school.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A 13-year-old schoolgirl near Beirut was arrested along with her father after she reported to the Israel Defense Forces that Hezbollah was storing weapons at her school, according to Ynet.

The girl contacted the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, stating that weapons were being kept at Choueifat National College in Choueifat, near Beirut.

Her communication was later brought to the attention of school administrators by a friend, prompting involvement by security authorities.

When security forces arrived at the school, they did not find anything suspicious.

The school later issued a statement saying the student was “found to have defamed the institution through actions or statements that violate the law or school regulations, including on social media, and would face legal proceedings and disciplinary action.”

Lebanese authorities described it as “a childish act” and suggested it may have been an attempt to avoid an exam or a joke that the IDF took seriously. Others expressed concern that the allegations could cause the school and surrounding area to be viewed as a potential Israeli military target.

Adraee addressed the incident in a public post, writing, “…the public is convinced, even children, even if this post is only a joke or a game, that the possibility that the Hezbollah terrorist organization holds weapons inside schools and civilian facilities is not far-fetched. In fact, it is a reality everyone is aware of.”

The IDF has said it has documented cases of armed groups embedding military infrastructure within civilian sites.

It cited findings involving Hamas in Gaza, including a report in late March that described the discovery of a large cache of weapons hidden inside a school in the area of Al-Khiyam.

The circumstances surrounding the girl’s report and subsequent arrest continue to draw attention amid concerns about the use of civilian facilities in conflict areas.