JERUSALEM, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An Israeli court martial on Thursday convicted an army tracker from the Jewish state's Arab minority of spying for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.

The court convicted Master Sergeant Louai Balut of passing Hezbollah guerrillas information by telephone about Israeli troop deployments along the Lebanese border. He also took part in cross-border drug deals, the court said.

Balut, 35, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and discharged from the Israeli army. He had denied the charges.

Israel fought a 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006 and tensions remain high despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon.

Arabs make up about 20 percent of Israel's population and, while they seldom take up arms, at times voice sympathy with Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

(Reporting by Avida Landau, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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