The Israeli military has announced the capture of a senior Hezbollah operative during a naval raid in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun on Friday. According to an official statement, special forces apprehended the individual and brought them back to Israeli territory in what was described as a “special operation.”
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that an “unidentified military force” landed on the beach at dawn, raiding a nearby building and capturing one person before making a swift exit by speedboat.
The incident has provoked outrage from Lebanese authorities. Prime Minister Najib Mikati instructed the foreign ministry to file a complaint with the UN Security Council. Both the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, are investigating the raid, with Mikati calling for prompt results.
Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh suggested that the operation might have contravened UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which aims to prevent hostilities following the Israel-Hezbollah conflict of 2006. He questioned, “If it is proven that the kidnapping occurred via a naval landing, where is the implementation of Resolution 1701?”
Hezbollah has not officially commented on Israel’s claim regarding the captured individual, while Hamieh stated that the man was a civilian ship captain.
CCTV footage, identified by the BBC as from Batroun, shows soldiers leading a captive through the area. The Israeli military provided limited information about the operation but confirmed that the unit involved was Shayetet 13, a marine commando squad specializing in sea-to-land incursions.
Batroun, a Christian town located north of Beirut, has remained relatively unaffected by Israeli military actions, which have primarily concentrated on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa valley, and southern Beirut suburbs.
Since Israel’s ground invasion began on September 30, over 2,200 individuals have died in Lebanon, with the Israeli military reporting that 38 soldiers have been killed during this period.
Credit: BBC News
