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Within 48 hours... Mossad arrests expand from Lebanon's Batrun to Syria's Daraa
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Israel's easy penetration of neighboring territories reflects a dangerous decline in security agencies' abilities to protect their borders
Israel carried out two kidnapping operations in Syria and Lebanon within 48 hours, as its army announced today, Sunday, the capture of an "Iranian Revolutionary Guard collaborator" in Syria, two days after kidnapping Imad Amhaz from his apartment in the Batrun area of northern Lebanon.
The Israeli army stated that the detainee in Syria is "Ali Suleiman Al-Atzi" from the Tsayda area in southern Syria, claiming that he "was employed by Iran and gathered intelligence information about our forces."
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The occupation army claimed that Al-Atzi's arrest "prevented a future attack on Israel and revealed how Iranian entities operate in the Golan," adding that the detainee is being interrogated in Israel.
A security source told "Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath" that an Israeli commando force penetrated Syrian territory and carried out the kidnapping operation in the Saida area of Daraa city in southern Syria.
In a related context, an Israeli military official, who requested anonymity, revealed yesterday Saturday that "Israeli naval commando forces arrested a high-ranking Hezbollah member" in the coastal city of Batrun, adding that the operation was led by Unit Shayetet 13.
The Israeli official described the person kidnapped from Lebanon as an "expert in his field," indicating that an Israeli military intelligence unit is handling his interrogation.
However, initial Lebanese investigations, according to "Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath" sources, revealed the discovery of dozens of SIM cards and passports inside Imad Amhaz's apartment, suggesting that the kidnapped person is not a Hezbollah member or leader as claimed by the Israeli army, but rather a sea captain who was undergoing educational courses at one of the marine institutes in the area.
These two operations fall within the framework of ongoing Israeli military escalation against Lebanon since September 23, which coincided with successive strikes targeting Iranian-backed groups in Syria, indicating an escalation of confrontation in the region.
Levant-Agencies
