• Source:JND

An Israeli military official has stated that Israel's naval forces apprehended a senior Hezbollah operative in northern Lebanon, according to reports from AP.

The operation occurred in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun, although the official did not disclose the name of the detainee. Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese authorities announced they were investigating whether Israel was responsible for the abduction of a Lebanese sea captain, who was taken by armed men that landed on Batroun's coast on Friday.

“The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated,” the official said. 

Military officials stated that the operation was conducted with some coordination from the German Navy, which is part of the UNIFIL forces, to prevent the Lebanese Navy, active in the area to combat smuggling to Europe, from intervening during the operation.

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The IDF views Hezbollah operative Imad Amhaz as an important asset within the group's naval force. Commandos from Shayetet 13 conducted a raid on a chalet along the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli, arriving by sea, as reported by Times Of Israel. Reports from Lebanon indicate that Amhaz was apprehended from the building and that the commandos departed the area using speedboats.

Media reports from Lebanon identified the arrested individual as Imad Fadel Amhaz, a senior member of Hezbollah's military wing, with various outlets broadcasting footage from the incident.
 
A Lebanese security source told Al Jazeera, "A security organisation abducted a Lebanese citizen at dawn today from the Batroun area in the north of the country. We are investigating the possibility that an Israeli commando unit infiltrated from the sea and carried out the abduction."