BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Israeli forces carried out a cross-border operation in southern Lebanon early Monday, seizing a local official affiliated with a Sunni Islamist group allied with Hamas and taking him to Israel for questioning, according to statements from the Israeli military and reports by Lebanese state media. The incident unfolded amid continued Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire that formally ended last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the man taken into custody was Atwi Atwi, a local official with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, also known as the Islamic Group, in the village of Hebbarieh in the Hasbaya region near the Israeli border. The agency said Israeli forces entered the area in the early hours of the morning and removed Atwi from Lebanese territory.
The Israeli military confirmed the operation but did not identify the detainee by name. In a brief statement, it said troops apprehended an Islamic Group official during what it described as a “targeted intelligence-based operation,” adding that the individual was taken to Israel for further questioning.
Hours later, violence escalated further when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in the southern Lebanese village of Yanouh, killing three people, including a child, according to the National News Agency. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials regarding the strike, and details about the identities of those killed were not immediately released.
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya condemned the seizure of its official, describing it as part of what it called Israel’s daily attacks and repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty. In a statement, the group urged the Lebanese government to intervene and work toward Atwi’s release, warning that continued Israeli operations risk further destabilizing the fragile situation along the border.
The Islamic Group is Lebanon’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamist movement that has been banned or restricted in several Middle Eastern countries. In Lebanon, the group maintains an armed wing known as the Fajr Forces. Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the Fajr Forces joined Hezbollah in launching rockets and other attacks across the border into northern Israel, actions they said were intended to support Hamas fighters in Gaza.
The Muslim Brotherhood has long been viewed with suspicion by regional governments, and last month the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump designated the Brotherhood’s Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian branches as terrorist organizations, further tightening international pressure on groups linked to the movement.
During the 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the leader of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, Mohammed Takkoush, publicly acknowledged coordination with Hezbollah despite longstanding disagreements between the two groups over regional conflicts, including wars in Syria and Yemen. He said those differences were set aside in what he described as a shared confrontation with Israel.
Hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border intensified after Hezbollah began attacking Israeli positions on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel, setting off the war in Gaza. Israel responded with an extensive air campaign against Hezbollah targets across Lebanon and later sent ground forces into the country, dealing severe blows to the Shiite militant group’s military infrastructure.
The fighting formally ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024, but tensions have remained high. Since the truce took effect, Israel has conducted near-daily airstrikes and occasional ground incursions into southern Lebanon. Israeli officials say the operations are necessary to dismantle remaining Hezbollah strongholds and prevent attacks against Israeli territory.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah exacted a heavy toll on both sides. More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians, and the country suffered an estimated $11 billion in damage and destruction, according to the World Bank. In Israel, 127 people were killed, among them 80 soldiers. Despite the ceasefire, Monday’s events underscored how quickly violence can flare again along one of the region’s most volatile borders.
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