Israel says captured two Hezbollah members in south Lebanon
A series of strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday and early Tuesday, the first attack on the Hezbollah stronghold in days, as Israel's military said it captured two members of the Iran-backed group in southern Lebanon.
In a statement on Monday, the Israeli army said that "during an activity to locate weapons in southern Lebanon, (Israeli) troops identified several armed Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorists who were planning to fire an anti-tank missile", referring to the group's commando force.
"After being identified, the terrorists surrendered. They were apprehended by the troops and transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning," it added.
The Israeli military told AFP two Hezbollah members were captured.
Elsewhere in the south, the NNA reported several Israeli strikes.
The two Hezbollah members captured in the south were the latest additions to a list of Lebanese who have been held in Israel since the last war between it and the group.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said in January that Israel was holding "20 Lebanese prisoners", alleging 10 had been abducted "inside Lebanese territory after the ceasefire" that sought to end the previous conflict in 2024.
The next month, Israeli forces seized a member of the Hamas-allied Jamaa Islamiya in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson Ella Waweya said on Monday "the battle against Hezbollah... has only just begun".
In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will "continue to strike both in Iran and in Lebanon".
Israel earlier struck a bridge linking areas in southern Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley in the east of the country, a day after a major bridge in the Tyre region was targeted.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday he and Netanyahu had instructed the military to "destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity".
Source: Agence France Presse
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