Israel-Hezbollah war: “Naval command”, Israel suspected, investigation opened… what do we know about the kidnapping of a civilian in the north of the country?

The war continues to rage between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah. While the IDF – the Israeli army – has been actively bombing Lebanon since September 23, a new type of operation has just taken place. A “naval commando” kidnapped a Lebanese man in a town north of Beirut, a military source in Lebanon told AFP on Saturday. The events allegedly took place on Friday November 1 at dawn in Batroun, 50 kilometers from the capital.

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“A naval commando kidnapped a civilian, an investigation is underway into the circumstances of the kidnapping,” this anonymous source told AFP. If there is currently no evidence to ensure that Israel is involved in this operation, some do not doubt it. “We are also investigating to see if it is an Israeli (force)” the source further clarified. A judicial official confirmed that an investigation had been opened, saying that the operation was “90%” the work of an “Israeli commando”.

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According to an AFP photographer on site, the Lebanese army carried out inspection operations on the coast near the building where the kidnapping took place.

“A landing from the sea” mentioned

For its part, contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was “verifying” this information without giving further details. According to the Lebanese news agency Ani, citing residents, “a military force” carried out a “landing from the sea on the coast of Batroun”. She “went with all her armament to a bungalow near the beach, kidnapping a Lebanese man before heading out into the open sea on a speedboat.”

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On social networks, we can see a video of the operation circulating, although it has not yet been able to be authenticated.

A source close to the case in Batroun assured AFP that the kidnapped man was training at the Institute of Maritime Sciences and Technology (Marsati) and was around thirty years old. He resided in Institute accommodation. Rumors point to a person responsible for transporting weapons from Syria on behalf of Hezbollah.

As a reminder, more than 1,900 people have been killed since September 23 in Lebanon, according to an AFP count based on data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Until now, the town of Batroun had been spared Israeli operations which mainly focus on Hezbollah strongholds in the south and east of Lebanon as well as in the southern suburbs of Beirut.