BEIRUT / JERUSALEM

Lebanon’s Jamaa Islamiya group announced Monday that Israeli forces infiltrated southern Lebanon overnight Sunday and abducted one of its officials in the Hasbaya region.

In a statement seen by Anadolu, the Islamic group condemned the Israeli occupation forces for abducting its official, Atwi Atwi, from his home.

The Israeli forces took Atwi “to an unknown location after terrorizing his family and assaulting them," the group added.

It called on the state of Lebanon to work to secure the release of Atwi Atwi and all detainees, and put an end to all Israeli violations of Lebanese territory and sovereignty.

The group also urged the state to defend civilians and peaceful residents in their villages and towns.

No statement has yet been issued by the Lebanese authorities regarding the incident.

Later, on Monday, the Israeli army announced it had carried out the operation, saying its forces raided the “Jabal Rous” area in southern Lebanon and arrested “a prominent operative in the Islamic Group during a nighttime operation.”

In a statement, it said the operation came “in light of intelligence gathered over recent weeks,” adding that the detainee “was transferred to Israel for interrogation.”

It claimed that “combat equipment was found inside the building” and accused the Islamic group of carrying out activities “against Israel on the northern front.”

Israel has killed over 4,000 people and wounded around 17,000 in Lebanon during an assault it began in October 2023, which it escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024.

For more than a year, Beirut has unsuccessfully called for an end to Tel Aviv’s daily aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and for the termination of Israeli occupation.

Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement in force with Hezbollah since Nov. 2024 on a daily basis, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul