Micah Jonah, February 9, 2026
A Lebanese party with an armed wing has accused Israel of abducting one of its senior members during a cross-border raid in southern Lebanon.
Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya said Israeli forces seized its official, Atwi Atwi, from his home in the Hasbaiyya district and took him to an unknown location on Monday. The group condemned the “infiltration” by Israeli forces, highlighting ongoing tensions despite a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said the operation was based on “intelligence indications gathered in recent weeks” and described it as a “targeted raid” that apprehended a senior terrorist, who was “transferred for further questioning in Israeli territory.” The army accused al-Jamaa al-Islamiya of launching attacks against Israel and its civilians in the north.
Under the 2024 truce, Israel was to withdraw from five strategic points it occupies in Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah was to remove fighters south of the Litani River and dismantle remaining military infrastructure.
Lebanese media reported that the raid occurred around 4a.m. local time. Atwi, a former mayor of Hibbariyeh village, is the latest in a series of Lebanese citizens Israel is accused of abducting since hostilities began.
Separately, three people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air raid in Yanooh town, Tyre district, earlier on Monday. Hezbollah lawmaker, Hussein Hajj Hassan has said Israel currently holds “20 Lebanese prisoners,” alleging that 10 were abducted after the ceasefire.
The incident underscores ongoing instability in southern Lebanon and the fragile nature of ceasefire agreements in the region.
