Everything We Know About The Capturing Of Imad Amhaz From Batroun By Israeli Commandos
An operation in Batroun by Israeli commandos has left Lebanon on edge as new details emerge about the capture of a reported Hezbollah naval unit commander, Imad Amhaz.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s known so far. This is where it took place:
At around 2:30-2:45 am, residents of the building hear movement, and several look outside to see a group of military. Then they hear “Go back inside, State Security (لأمن الدولة)” in perfect Lebanese repeated 3 times. They then heard a breach of a door before Amhaz was taken away in the other direction.
The entire capture operation reportedly took only four minutes and was executed by a team of around 20 Israeli commandos. Notably, two men in civilian clothes were with the team – unclear who.
The operation took place Thursday overnight – two days before news broke to the public. Amhaz’s wife reportedly alerted the police on Friday when she realized he wasn’t answering her calls.
Early reports about Amhaz’s role sparked confusion. Initial rumors suggested he was associated with the Lebanese navy or worked as a civilian ship captain. However, the Lebanese Army confirmed to 961 News that he wasn’t affiliated with them.
According to Israeli sources to Axios, he is now in Israel, where he’s expected to face questioning about Hezbollah’s naval activities and capabilities.
Amhaz had only rented the chalet in Batroun a month before his capture. Security forces searching the property found approximately 10 foreign SIM cards, 5 USBs, a burner phone, his Lebanese passport, as well as a travel document issued by the Panama Maritime Authority.
Among the identifiable sim cards:
- 2x Telkom – South Africa
- Tigo – Colombia
- Claro – Latin America
- Vodafone – Europe
- Free – Senegal
- MTN – South Africa
- Three – the UK
A crew ID was found issued by Maritime Management Services (MMS), and a vessel named “Silver Soul” was assigned to him. The only vessel under that name is a vehicle carrier with a Panama flag that is currently moored in Lagos, Nigeria after departing from Freeport, in Texas, USA on October 17th.
His family confirmed he would work on the vehicle carrier and travel. They clarified as well the 10 SIM cards were collected and maintained by him to keep in touch with his family in any of the countries he visited. They deny he has anything to do with Hezbollah.
Israel confirmed that their elite naval commandos, Shayetet 13, took him. It is one of the primary reconnaissance units of the IDF. It specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding.
Shayetet 13 and Hezbollah’s Amphibious Warfare Unit
Shayetet 13 has a long history of operating in Lebanon. Among their operations in Lebanon:
- Destroying Palestinian militia bases near Sidon in 1971 and killing their commander Abu Youssef
- In 1973, they raided Palestinian camps Nahr al-Bared and Beddawi in the North.
- From 1979 to 1981, they carried out 22 raids against Palestinian militias.
- In 1982, they assisted the IDF in its amphibious landing just north of Sidon, carried out 3 raids on the PLO in Beirut, as well as reportedly stopped ships smuggling weapons from Lebanon to Italy, including on Yasser Arafat’s personal boat.
- In the 1980s, they heavily engaged combated Hezbollah.
- In 1988, they raided the HQ of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to kill its leader but they failed, despite killing 20 militiamen and losing an officer.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s ‘Amphibious Warfare Unit’ is one of the most secretive of their units. It was established in the 90s. Their main training occurs near the Assi River in Bekaa as well as at the IRGC underwater combat school in Badar Abbas, Iran. Their frogmen attempted 2 operations including an underwater sabotage attempt on Haifa port in 2006 but failed. They’re tasked with protecting the coastline in Lebanon and with the anti-ship missiles.
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