Israeli Military Captures Senior Hezbollah Operative in Naval Raid
On Friday, the Israeli military announced the capture of a senior Hezbollah operative during a naval operation in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun.
An Israeli official reported that special forces apprehended the individual in what was termed a “special operation” and transported them back to Israeli territory. Lebanon’s state news agency stated that an “unidentified military force” landed on the beach at dawn, raided a nearby building, and took one person before departing via speedboat.
The raid has sparked outrage from Lebanese authorities. Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office announced that he had directed the foreign ministry to file a complaint with the UN Security Council. Additionally, both the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, are investigating the incident, with Mikati urging for prompt results.
Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh suggested that the raid might have violated UN Security Council resolution 1701, which was established to halt hostilities after the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in 2006. He was quoted by local media, asking, “If it is proven that the kidnapping took place via a naval landing, where is the implementation of Resolution 1701?”
Hezbollah has not commented on Israel’s claims regarding the captured individual, while Hamieh identified the man as a captain of civilian ships.
CCTV footage that surfaced online, which the BBC traced back to Batroun, seemingly shows soldiers leading a captive through the area.
The Israeli military provided limited information about the operation but confirmed that it involved Shayetet 13, a marine commando unit specializing in sea-to-land incursions.
Batroun, a predominantly Christian town located north of Beirut, has largely been spared from Israeli military actions in Lebanon thus far, as such operations have predominantly targeted southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley to the east, and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Since Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon on September 30, over 2,200 people have been killed in the conflict. The Israeli military reported that 38 of its soldiers have also died in Lebanon during this period.
