Israel claims Amhaz's capture sabotaged 'secret Hezbollah naval unit'

Israel's military said Friday a man seized last year in Lebanon's Batroun was a Hezbollah operative who played a key role in planning a covert maritime force for the militant group.

The Israeli army said special unit troops apprehended Imad Amhaz in November 2024 from the north Lebanese city of Batroun, and transferred him to Israel.

"During his questioning, Amhaz stated that he held a central role in the 'covert maritime portfolio,'" which the Israeli military called "one of Hezbollah's most classified and sensitive projects."

It said the portfolio's "core objective is the establishment of organized maritime terrorist infrastructure, under civilian cover, in the maritime domain against Israeli and international targets."

The Israeli military added that it had disrupted the portfolio's advancement by dismantling its chain of command and through its questioning of Amhaz.

In November 2024, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP that a preliminary probe found that Israeli commandos used a speedboat equipped with radar-jamming devices to abduct Amhaz.

The official called his capture "a war crime that violated national sovereignty" because it involved the kidnapping of a Lebanese citizen in an area far from the fighting.

Amhaz was studying to become a sea captain at the Maritime Sciences and Technology Institute (MARSATI) in Batroun, Lebanon's primary training college for the shipping industry.

Israel says Amhaz was an "invisible" Hezbollah operative who joined the Lebanese armed group in 2004 and was trained in Iran in 2007.

Hezbollah has not claimed Amhaz as a member of the group.

A Hezbollah official meanwhile told The Associated Press that the group will not comment on the video released by the Israeli military of Amhaz, describing him as "a Lebanese citizen who was kidnapped." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five areas of south Lebanon it deems strategic.

Israel says the strikes target Hezbollah members and infrastructure, and aim to stop the group from rearming.