By Stephanie Radi
BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanon will question the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) regarding the kidnap of a Lebanese sea captain in an Israeli raid north of Beirut, the country’s interior minister said on Monday.
A Lebanese citizen was kidnapped on Friday by armed men in Batroun, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Beirut.
Lebanese authorities said that they were investigating whether Israel was behind the kidnap, saying that the abductee was a sea captain and identified him as Imad Emhez.
“Investigations are underway into what happened in Batroun,” Bassam Mawlawi told a press conference in Beirut.
He called the abduction of the Lebanese citizen “a breach and an act of war.”
“The Lebanese state will issue direct questions to the command of the UNIFIL” regarding the kidnapping, he added.
UNIFIL is responsible for monitoring the Lebanese coast under UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
On Saturday, the UN peacekeeping mission denied any involvement in the kidnap of the Lebanese captain.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Saturday that his country will file a complaint with the UN Security Council against Israel regarding the sea captain’s abduction.
Amhez's father on Sunday also stressed that his son has no ties with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
Israel has escalated its air campaign in Lebanon since late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in an escalation from year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese group since the start of Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Nearly 3,000 people have been killed and more than 13,300 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.
Israel expanded the conflict by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar