Senior Hezbollah operative captured in Lebanon, Israeli military official says

A man points to the beach in Batroun where officials say armed men landed and took away a ship’s captain (Hussein Malla/AP)

Israeli naval forces captured a senior Hezbollah operative in north Lebanon, an Israeli military official said on Saturday.

The operation took place in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun, the official said, without providing the name of the person they detained.

Earlier on Saturday, Lebanese authorities said they were investigating whether Israel was behind the capture of a Lebanese sea captain who was taken away by a group of armed men who had landed on the coast at Batroun on Friday.

“The operative has been transferred to Israeli territory and is currently being investigated.” the official said.