Hezbollah, Lebanon’s militant group, said in a statement that the capture by Israeli naval forces was a “Zionist aggression in the Batroun area.”
Israeli naval forces seized a senior operative with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in northern Lebanon, the Associated Press reported, citing an Israeli military official on Saturday. It is the latest flare-up in ongoing tensions between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, which do not appear to be letting up.
Earlier, Lebanese officials said they were investigating whether Israel was behind the detention of a Lebanese sea captain, who was kidnapped by armed men who landed on the coastline near the northern town of Batroun on Friday.
“The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated,” the military official told AP without disclosing the name of the detained individual.
In its release, Hezbollah termed the incident as a “Zionist aggression in the Batroun area.” It further did not give any details or confirmation if one of its members was captured by Israel.
Operation Details Two Lebanese military officials said a naval force landed in Barton, some 30 kilometres north of Beirut, and snatched a Lebanese citizen. They refused to identify the man or say if he was suspected of any links to Hezbollah. It was also unclear if the armed men were Israeli.
