Lebanese ship captain kidnapped by gunmen, officials investigate ties to Israel

BEIRUT (AP) — The captain of a Lebanese ship was taken by a group of armed men who landed on the coast north of Beirut, authorities said Saturday, adding that they were investigating whether Israel was involved.

Two Lebanese military officials confirmed to The Associated Press that naval forces landed in Batroun, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Beirut, and abducted a Lebanese national. No one has identified the man or said whether he is believed to have had ties to Lebanese group Hezbollah. They did not confirm whether the men were armed by Israeli forces.

Speaking to Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV, Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hami declined to elaborate or answer questions about whether it was considered an Israeli operation.

Three Lebanese judicial officials told the AP that the incident occurred at dawn on Friday, adding that the captain may have had ties to Hezbollah. Officials said an investigation was looking into whether the man was linked to Hezbollah or working for the Israeli spy service, and Israeli forces arrived to rescue him.

Both military and judicial officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details about the incident or the ongoing investigation.

Hami told Al-Jadid that the man was a civilian ship captain. He graduated in 2022 and at the end of September joined Batrun Institute of Marine Science and Technology for additional courses. Hemi said the man lived about 300 meters (980 feet) from the institute.

Hami’s remarks came shortly after two Lebanese journalists posted a video on social media showing about 20 armed men taking a man from under a house with his face covered by a shirt.

Candice Ardiel, a spokeswoman for UN peacekeeping forces stationed in southern Lebanon, denied accusations by some local journalists that the peacekeepers were assisting the ground forces in the operation. The UN mission, known as UNIFIL, has a naval force monitoring the coast.

“Disinformation and false rumors are irresponsible and put peacekeepers at risk,” Ardiel said.

There has been no comment from the Israeli authorities.

Israel has done in the past commando operations deep in Lebanon to kidnap or kill Hezbollah and Palestinian officials.

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Associated Press writers Sally Abu Aljud in Beirut and Natalie Meltzer in Tel Aviv, Israel contributed to this report.

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