What do we know about the mysterious kidnapping of a Lebanese man by the Israeli army in Batroun? – Liberation

Lebanese media yesterday revealed the video of the kidnapping of a civilian navy captain in Batroun, in the north of the country. A first since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

It was an unprecedented act of war that shook the coastal town of Batroun in Lebanon, a Christian town known for its luxury guest houses and its recreational beaches. While bombings have spared this seaside resort since October 2023, the Israeli army claimed responsibility on Saturday evening for the kidnapping of a Lebanese man, Friday November 1. The case began to gain momentum on Saturday, when Lebanese journalist Hasan Illaik shared on the social network X a surveillance video showing an armed squadron kidnapping a man during a nighttime operation.

“Long-planned operation”

The man dragged by force is Imad Amhaz, a boat captain who was studying at the Lebanese Marine Institute of Batroun (Marsati), a private organization renowned in the region. Video surveillance images make it possible to identify the route he takes, north of Batroun, leading to a bay where his exfiltration from Lebanon could have taken place. The disappearance of this father of three children from Baalbek (north-east) was reported by his wife to the Lebanese authorities. According to several sources close to the matter, the operation lasted four minutes and mobilized around twenty soldiers. Neighbors reportedly witnessed the kidnapping but initially believed it was a raid by the Lebanese army for drug trafficking, claiming that one of the soldiers at the head of the squadron was speaking in “a perfect Lebanese Arab”. Some witnesses argue that Imad