Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on February 9 that it had captured a “senior” operative of the Islamic Group during an overnight raid in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the military said that the operative was captured from a building in Mount Dov — Hebrew name for Shebaa Farms — near the border by a special forces unit operating with troops of the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division. The raid, based on intelligence collected in recent weeks, began late on February 8 and was wrapped up shortly after midnight, and there were no reports of any clashes.
“The terrorist was detained and transferred for further interrogation within Israeli territory. In addition, weapons were located in the building where the terrorist was arrested,” the military added.
The Islamic Group is the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Sunni group’s military wing, the al-Fajr Forces, has fought alongside Hezbollah and Hamas branch in Lebanon against the IDF after the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in October of 2023.
An Israeli military source told the Times of Israel that the IDF decided to capture the operative instead of targeting him in a strike in an attempt to obtain intelligence on the group’s activities in Lebanon and Syria.
The IDF did not provide further details on the operative, but the Islamic Group identified him as Atwi Atwi, saying in a statement he was captured in the town of Habbariyeh, located some five kilometers north of the border.
The group held Israel “responsible for any harm that may befall him” and called on the Lebanese government to put pressure on the sponsors of a ceasefire between the two countries, to end Israeli raids into Lebanon, and secure the release of those it has captured.
Notably, the group also linked the Israeli raid to a visit to the same area the day before by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, which was meant to emphasize that the south, the heartland of Hezbollah, was under the complete control of the government.
The Islamic Group questioned if the Israeli “piracy” was a response to “the affirmation of the people of the region of their adherence to the state.”
Shortly after announcing the capture of Atwi, the IDF also said it carried out a strike against a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanon town of Yanouh. Lebanese media reported that three people, including a three-year-old child.
According to the IDF, the main target of the strike was Ahmad Ali Salami, who served as an artillery commander in Hezbollah.
The military alleged in a statement that Salami advanced numerous rocket attacks on Israel during the 2023-2024 war with Hezbollah, and recently was working to restore the group’s artillery infrastructure “from within the civilian population in Lebanon.” His actions were a violation of the ceasefire, the military said.
“The IDF is aware of the claim that uninvolved civilians were killed,” the military added, noting that it took steps to mitigate civilian harm, and that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians and operates to minimize harm as much as possible.”
“The incident is under review,” it concluded.
Recent months saw an escalation in Israeli military operations against Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon, despite that the country has shown commitment towards implementing the ceasefire brokered by the United States more than a year earlier, even when it comes to disarming the group.
The latest raid in Habbariyeh was an essentially serious development as it shows that the IDF is not just working to demoralize southern Lebanon, but also to gain the complete freedom of action in the region, similar to the occupied West Bank, or more recently in southern Syria.
The IDF has repeatedly refused to cease these operations and withdraw from a series of posts it kept in southern Lebanon, as the U.S.-brokered ceasefire dictates.
With no pressure from the U.S. to implement the Israeli-side of the agreement, the IDF could soon seek to increase the numbers of posts it has in southern Lebanon, de-facto occupying the whole region.
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how/when idf get this much strong?
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idf just take advantage as his proxies in syria (fsa&hts now ruling syria) are enemies of hezbollah! therefore hezbollah which defeated idf 2 times and failing to cross the letani river are watching closely syrian nato prxy army instead of launch a barrage of rockets and drones to israel
end is coming for hezbollah terrorist group.
by debasing us currency
total penetration achieved!!!
southfronters are crying today…heheheeh
worship the star of epstine, increased abomination
if you complain or work towards self determination, they will come for you. another message sent to create the slave class by the epstein cult
“…despite that the country has shown commitment towards implementing the ceasefire brokered by the united states more than a year earlier..”
no. not despite that. because ..