IDF Captures Senior Terror Operative in Lebanon, Strikes Hezbollah Target

by | Feb 9, 2026 | News

The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that it captured a senior member of the Sunni terror group al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya during a covert overnight raid in southern Lebanon.

According to the military, special forces operating alongside troops from the 210th “Bashan” Regional Division apprehended the operative late Sunday in the Mount Dov area near the Israeli border. The operation concluded early Monday without reported clashes. The group later identified the detainee as Atwi Atwi, claiming he was captured in the town of Habbariyeh, about five kilometers north of the border.

The IDF said the raid followed weeks of intelligence gathering and resulted in the seizure of weapons found at the site. The suspect was transferred into Israeli territory for interrogation. Military officials said the decision to capture rather than kill the operative was made to extract intelligence about the group’s activities in Lebanon and Syria.

Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, whose armed wing is known as the al-Fajr Forces, has repeatedly targeted Israel from Lebanon and is part of the broader Muslim Brotherhood network. Israeli officials say the group has worked closely with Hezbollah and Hamas, maintaining military infrastructure across southern Lebanon and along the Syria-Lebanon border.

Following the capture, the IDF also reported carrying out an airstrike against a Hezbollah operative in the southern Lebanese town of Yanouh. Lebanon’s health ministry said the strike killed three people, including a three-year-old child.

Despite a November 2024 ceasefire requiring Hezbollah to withdraw south of the Litani River, Israel maintains that the group remains entrenched in the area, prompting near-daily military actions. The conflict began when Hezbollah launched cross-border attacks on October 8, 2023, one day after Hamas’s assault on southern Israel.

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