Nov. 2 (UPI) — The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed unofficial reports it has captured a senior Hezbollah naval leader during an amphibious operation carried out deep inside northern Lebanon.
Awareness of the raid was first raised after a video posted on social media appeared to show Israeli commandos landing a on a beach in the northern city of Batroun and arresting a man said to be a high-ranking Hezbollah naval commander.
The IDF later confirmed in a statement to media outlets that a Shayetet 13 force landed in Batroun — a Christian town far from the southern theater of operations — and captured a senior Hezbollah leader.
“The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated by Unit 504,” the IDF’s statement said.
Lebanese officials identified the man as mariner Imad Amhaz and said the operation was in fact an “kidnapping” of one of its citizens.
Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said that the abduction of Amhaz could be a violation of United Nations Resolution 1701, which is meant to govern security arrangements between Israel and Lebanon after their 2006 war.
“The kidnapping of Amhaz took place 100 meters from his place of residence,” Hamieh told local media, suggesting the operation could be a violation of the agreement. “If it is proven that the kidnapping took place via a naval landing, where is the implementation of resolution 1701?”
Witnesses said they saw an unidentified military force land on the beach in Batroun at dawn on Friday, entered a nearby chalet and take away Amhaz, the Lebanon National News Agency reported.
The witnesses said the military force took the man and left on speedboats.
Hezbollah confirmed “Zionist aggression in the Batroun area” occurred but did not elaborate on the matter.
The raid occurred after Hezbollah in late September said its forces targeted a naval base on Israel’s northern Mediterranean cost where the Shayetet 13 special force is based.
That action occurred on Sept. 23, but IDF officials said no injuries were reported without confirming Hezbollah attacked the base.
The IDF on Saturday also said it “eliminated” Jaafer Khader Faour, the commander of the Hezbollah Nasser Unit’s Missiles and Rockets Array, in southern Lebanon.
Faour was responsible for rocket attacks targeting the Golan area, including recent attacks that killed Israeli civilians, including a dozen children, the IDF said Saturday in a post on X.
Faour was responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks from eastern Lebanon and commanded the launch of the first rockets toward Israeli territory on Oct. 8, 2023.
The rocket attacks started the hostilities that continue on Israel’s northern front that is bordered by Lebanon.
The IDF did not say when, where or how it killed Faour.