BEIRUT: A Lebanese Islamist group accused Israel on Monday of abducting one of its members during a cross-border raid in the country’s south, as Israel dubbed the suspect a “senior terrorist.”
Israel frequently carries out military operations in southern Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities with militant group Hezbollah.
It launches air strikes and occupies five points on Lebanese territory that it deems strategic.
On Monday, the Jamaa Islamiya group, an ally of Palestinian militants Hamas, accused Israel of seizing one of its officials, Atwi Atwi, from his home in the Hasbaya district and taking him to an unknown location.
Jamaa Islamiya, which has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Israel during the war with Hezbollah, condemned “the Israeli occupation forces’ infiltration.”
The Israeli military said that, “following intelligence indications gathered in recent weeks, IDF soldiers conducted a targeted raid... and apprehended a senior terrorist.”
The man was “transferred for further questioning in Israeli territory,” the army added, accusing Jamaa Islamiya of having launched “attacks against the State of Israel and its civilians in the north.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli troops entered the area at around 4am (0200 GMT) before abducting Atwi, who is a former mayor of the village of Hibbariyeh.
Also on Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said an Israeli strike on the village of Yanuh in south Lebanon killed three people including a three-year-old child.
The Israeli military said its bombing of Yanuh “struck a terrorist” who was Hezbollah’s head of artillery and had been working to restore the group’s capabilities.
“The IDF is aware of the claim that uninvolved civilians were killed,” it said.
“Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians and operates to minimize harm as much as possible. The incident is under review.”
The Israeli operations came hours after Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam completed a two-day visit to the south, which suffered extensive damage during the conflict with Hezbollah, with thousands displaced.
Lebanon accuses Israel of having abducted several other citizens since the start of the hostilities.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan said last month that Israel was holding “20 Lebanese prisoners,” alleging 10 had been abducted “inside Lebanese territory after the ceasefire.”
Lebanon says Israel must release these detainees and withdraw from the border positions it retains, in addition to halting air strikes on Lebanon.
Since the ceasefire, Lebanon’s government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, with the Lebanese army last month saying it had completed the first phase of its plan covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border.