On Saturday, Lebanese media published various documentation of an event that took place in the village of Beitoun, which is located on the Mediterranean coast about 40 km north of Beirut, and 180 km from the Israeli border at Rosh Hanikra. The documents, mostly from security cameras, showed a group of about 20 armed men with the appearance of Israeli military forces, leading a man dressed in civilian clothes. This raised suspicion of an Israeli commando operation, but many found it hard to believe that Israel really operated at such a distance deep inside Lebanon.
However, within a few hours, the IDF issued an official confirmation of the operation: Shayetet 13 forces raided the place in a secret and quiet operation assisted by the Israeli Navy, and kidnapped a senior Hezbollah operative from the terrorist organization’s naval system, which the IDF has defined as a knowledge base in his field. The suspect was handed over to the 504 unit, who specialize in interrogating prisoners and obtaining the information in their hands. There is no doubt that this unknown man, whose name has not yet been published, has valuable information for the IDF soldiers; Hezbollah’s naval array is considered one of its most secret, and there are not many publications about its capabilities (which have not yet been expressed in this war). Israel was already very surprised by its capabilities in the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when a few days into the war Hezbollah managed to hit the ‘Ahi Hanit’ ship with an accurate surface-to-sea missile, which caused damage and killed 4 soldiers. The attack, which was broadcast live in the middle of an Nasrallah speech, burned deep lessons in the consciousness of the commanders of the Navy, and even led to the resignation of David Ben-Beshat, then-commander of the Israeli navy.
In parallel with the secret activity, the IDF continues its strong and overt land activity in the villages of Lebanon close to the Israeli border. In recent days, there have been reports of IDF activity in Al-Hiam, the Lebanese village northeast of Metula, about 5 kilometers from the Israeli border. In 2006, the village had a terrible complication, when the 210th Division failed in its maneuvering efforts and was forced to return to Israel; this time, the effort seemed to be more successful, with minimal losses to the IDF, and reports of the liquidation of two Hezbollah company commanders in the sector.
