Overnight IDF Raid in Southern Lebanon Leads to Capture of Senior Al-Jama’a al-Islamiya Figure
A covert ground operation by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deep inside southern Lebanon ended with the arrest of a senior Al-Jama’a al-Islamiya operative who was taken into Israel for interrogation, the IDF said Monday.
The military said Division 210 troops acted on intelligence collected over recent weeks and located the suspect inside a building in the Har Dov region, approximately 10 kilometers beyond the border. During the entry, soldiers discovered and seized combat equipment found at the site.
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Lebanese media identified the detainee as Atwi Atwi and portrayed the operation as a kidnapping. Israeli officials described him as a high-ranking member of the Sunni Islamist organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. They said he had previously been connected to gunfire toward IDF positions near Beit Jann several months ago and to an earlier case involving the detention of six other members of the same group last year.
The IDF indicated that the decision to capture the operative alive was deliberate, citing the intelligence expected from questioning him, including information related to Hezbollah’s activities in the region.
Following the arrest, al-Jama’a al-Islamiya released a statement saying it holds Israel responsible for any harm to Atwi and alleging that the action was intended to pressure residents of southern Lebanon. The organization called on the Lebanese government to urge ceasefire and other states to stop what it described as Israeli violations and to secure the release of Lebanese detainees.
According to the IDF, al-Jama’a al-Islamiya has been involved in promoting attacks against Israel and its civilians along the northern front during the war.
