BEIRUT, Feb 9: Israeli forces captured Atwi Atwi, a local official with the Sunni Islamist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and an ally of Hamas, in southern Lebanon on Monday, taking him to Israel for questioning, according to the Israeli military and Lebanese state media.
The operation occurred in Hebbarieh, a village in the Hasbaya region near the Israeli border. On the same day, an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese village of Yanouh, killing three people, including a 3-year-old child.
The Israeli military also said it had targeted Hezbollah artillery official Ahmad Salami and is reviewing claims that uninvolved civilians were killed.
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, Lebanon’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the seizure as part of Israel’s ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty and called on the Lebanese government to secure Atwi’s release.
Its armed wing, Fajr Forces, has coordinated with Hezbollah since the October 2023 Israel-Hamas war, launching rockets and cross-border attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza.
Mohammed Takkoush, the group’s leader, said the Brotherhood and Hezbollah have put aside past differences to unite against Israel.
Since the outbreak of hostilities, Israel has carried out near-daily airstrikes and incursions in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah strongholds.
UN reports indicate over 100 civilians have died. The broader Israel-Hezbollah conflict killed more than 4,000 in Lebanon and 127 in Israel, causing an estimated $11 billion in damage. (AP)
