Israeli naval commandos have captured a trainee sailor described as a “senior Hezbollah operative” in a raid in Lebanon and brought him to Israel for questioning.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati instructed the Foreign Ministry to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council about the raid on the coastal city of Batroun, his office said on Saturday.
Mikati’s office said both the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL were investigating the raid, adding that he called for “prompt” results.
First reported by Lebanese sources before an Israeli military official confirmed military involvement, the raid was the first of its kind since the Israel-Hezbollah war began in September.
“A senior Hezbollah operative, who acts as an expert in his field, was arrested,” the Israeli military official said. “The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated.”
Lebanon’s official national news agency said an “unidentified military force” made a “sea landing” off the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli, at dawn on Friday.
The force “went to a chalet near the beach with all their weapons and equipment, kidnapped a Lebanese man… and went out into the open sea on a speedboat”.
An acquaintance of the hijacker identified him as a student at the state-run Institute of Maritime Science and Technology (MARSATI) in Batroun, Lebanon’s primary training college for the shipping industry.
He was taken from student housing near the institute, but he was a resident of the Shia-majority city of Qamatih in the south, the acquaintance said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
The source told AFP he was completing courses to become a sea captain, adding that the man was in his 30s and well known by teaching staff at the institute.
The Christian-majority city of Batroun has been relatively safe from the Israel-Hezbollah war, which has affected south Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
More than 1,900 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began on September 23, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures, although the real number is likely higher due to data gaps.
The Israeli military says 38 soldiers have been killed in the Lebanon campaign since the ground operation began on September 30.
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