BEIRUT - At dawn on Friday, November 1, 2024, an Israeli commando force landed on the coast of Batroun in northern Lebanon to kidnap Lebanese citizen Imad Amhaz from a chalet. The chalet management confirmed that Amhaz had rented it only about a month ago.

It is worth noting that Hezbollah has neither military nor security presence in Batroun. It is entirely under the authority of the Lebanese army and official security services. Besides, the US embassy in Lebanon moves freely in that maritime area under the pretext of evacuating its employees and soldiers.

The Israeli commando force included around 25 personnel wearing the uniform of a Lebanese security agency  -as shown in CCTV footages-  along with others in civilian clothes whose identities are unknown.

The Israeli media claimed that the kidnapped person was “an element of the naval force affiliated with Hezbollah who was working to transport weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon by sea.” But there is no confirmation of these allegations so far.

The Lebanese security forces said they found about 10 foreign number chips and a phone with a foreign passport in Amhaz’s chalet.  It also worked on analyzing the CCTV footages before it became clear that the enemy remotely deleted it.

Investigators assume that a part of the commando force was present in the area for reconnaissance and surveillance before carrying out the kidnapping.

Other sources indicate that the force infiltrated by a “Zodiac” across the sea. Then a larger naval cruiser took them outside Lebanese territorial waters, noting that the operation took about 4 minutes.

Najeeb Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, condemned the kidnapping. UNIFIL forces claimed they were conducting the necessary investigations in coordination with the Lebanese army.

The UNIFIL alleged that it had nothing to do with “facilitating any kidnapping operation or any violation of Lebanese sovereignty”, warning that “spreading misleading information and false rumors is irresponsible and exposes peacekeeping forces to danger.”

Besides, Mikati asked Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council.

For his part, Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh stated that the kidnapped citizen was studying at the Scientific and Marine Research Institute to train in driving commercial ships and yachts, and he wanted to apply to work with the naval force in the Lebanese army. 

Observers questioned the role of the German Navy operating within UNIFIL, which monitors the territorial waters along the Lebanese coast, which exposes the complicity of the German force, especially after it shot down a drone belonging to Hezbollah on October 17.

Indeed, Hezbollah’s legitimate weapon is the only means to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty. In the border area with occupied Palestine, where Hezbollah is present, the Israelis have failed to advance, but in Batroun, where Hezbollah is not present, the enemy entered and returned without accountability or supervision.

If the international forces are unable to protect Lebanon and prevent the enemy from attacking it, within the framework of Resolution 1701, and if the official agencies are also unable to confront such breaches, experts wonder then how the arrogant West dares to demand the disarmament of Hezbollah.