Lebanese Spy Flees to Israel: How Does This Work?

We've mentioned the continuing reports of a Lebanese unraveling of an alleged Israeli spy ring in the south. Unless, like Claude Rains in Casablanca, you are "shocked, shocked!" to learn that spying is going on, this is fairly standard stuff, but on a couple of occasions there have been reports of some of the suspected spies making their way into Israel. Most recently, it's said to be a Lebanese Lieutenant Colonel who slipped into Israel. Here's Haaretz' more cautious ("is believed to have fled to Israel") account, from the other side of the fence.

I do have a few questions. Back in the old days of the "Good Fence" when southern Lebanon was occupied by Israel's client "South Lebanon Army" and you could drive to the Israeli border town of Maalula and see SLA officers and ordinary Lebanese buying snacks at the border post, none of this would have been surprising. But Israel withdrew, the SLA vanished, and South Lebanon is supposedly Hizbullahland these days. Admittedly the defector was a Lebanese Army officer and his uniform would probably allow considerable access, but just how easy is it to cross into Israel from Lebanon?

Bear in mind, I'm just asking. I haven't been on that border since the mid-1990s, and back then it would have been easy, but my sense is it's changed a lot. Am I wrong?