Israel said the Hezbollah member was captured in a naval raid
The Israeli military said a senior member of Hezbollah was captured in a naval raid in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun on Friday.
An official said special forces arrested the men and brought them back to Israeli territory, in what was described as a “special operation”.
Lebanon’s state news agency said an “unknown military force” arrived at the beach at dawn, raided a nearby building and arrested one person before leaving by speedboat.
The raid angered Lebanese authorities, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s office saying he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to file a complaint with the United Nations Security Council.
It added that the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping force Unifil were both investigating the raid – and Mikati had called for a “swift” outcome.
Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said the raid may have violated United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, which aimed to end hostilities after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
“If it is proven that the kidnapping took place through a naval landing, then where is the implementation of Resolution 1701?” he was quoted by local media as saying.
Hezbollah did not comment on Israel’s allegations that the arrested person was a member of the group, while Hamieh told local media that the man was the captain of civilian ships.
CCTV footage emerged online – which the BBC located in Batroun – appearing to show a group of soldiers leading a detainee between several buildings.
The Israeli military provided limited details about the operation but said the unit involved was Shayetet 13, a marine commando unit that specializes in sea-to-land incursions.
Batroun, a Christian town north of Beirut, has so far remained relatively protected from Israeli military operations in Lebanon, which have focused on the country’s south, the Bekaa valley in the east and the region. southern suburbs of Beirut.
More than 2,200 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground offensive into the country on September 30. The Israeli army said 38 soldiers were killed in Lebanon during that period.
