IDF reveals stunning details of operation to capture captain of Hezbollah's 'terror boat' project

Over a year after Israeli forces captured a Hezbollah terrorist in one of the most daring raids of the war, the Israel Defense Forces published new information highlighting the importance of the capture of sea captain Imad Amhaz.

Amhaz had been seized from his bed by Israeli commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 unit – often compared to the U.S. Navy SEALS – in the town of Batroun, about 140 km (87 miles) north of the Israeli border, in a raid dubbed “Operation Behind the Back.”

According to IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee, Amhaz was a senior figure in Hezbollah’s clandestine maritime array, regarded as one of the group’s most sensitive and classified projects, under the direct supervision of former leader Hassan Nasrallah and his chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, both of whom were killed by Israeli forces.

Amhaz was reportedly a member of the coastal missile Unit 7900 and received additional military training in Iran and Lebanon, as well as at the Lebanese civilian maritime institute “Marasti.”

#عاجل 🔸جيش الدفاع يكشف: الملف البحري السري لحزب الله الإرهابي – بنية تحتية إرهابية بستار مدني بتوجيه مباشر من المدعو حسن نصرالله

🔸يكشف جيش الدفاع النقاب انه قبل نحو عام انطلق مقاتلي وحدة 13 للكوماندوز البحري لتنفيذ عملية "وراء الظهر" في بلدة البترون شمال لبنان، على بعد حوالي… pic.twitter.com/A5T7LPL6mS

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) December 19, 2025

Hezbollah aimed to create a unit that could carry out maritime attacks while using the cover of civilian naval operations against Israel, along with other targets. Amhaz specifically noted, “The organization sees the US as an enemy, for example.”

“This work has to remain secret. It’s not logical for someone known as an organization member to operate openly,” Amhaz said in the interrogation footage, noting, “If someone with a senior role [in Hezbollah] suddenly goes out to sea, it immediately raises suspicion.”

Israeli naval officers cited by Israel Hayom said the plan was for Hezbollah to create a “terror ship” – a large civilian merchant vessel that could use its cover to enter civilian ports and serve as a mobile base for attacks.

During his interrogation, Amhaz revealed sensitive intelligence information about this project, including his central role in it.

Israeli naval commandos captured a Hezbollah official in a raid in northern Lebanon late Friday, the Israeli military confirmed on Saturday night, marking an unusual operation both in its nature and location deep inside the country.

Lebanese media reported that Israeli special… pic.twitter.com/hR6i4W4sr8

— CYNN (@CYNN_Official) November 2, 2024

“The ambition was to log enough sea time, rise through the ranks, and eventually become a civilian captain who could lead a civilian merchant ship himself,” a naval officer told Israel Hayom.

“Alongside the practical hours, he also studied theory, and he progressed. This path gave him both operational experience and civilian cover so that once he became a certified captain of a civilian ship, he would not be suspected. In fact, he was operating under cover.”

Amhaz said that the secret unit carried out a wide range of operations, including covert transfers of personnel and military equipment via commercial vessels.

The interrogation also identified Ali Abd al-Hassan al-Nour – a senior official who is still alive and maintains responsibility for the project. According to Israel Hayom, Nour al-Din is married to Shukr's daughter and managed several of the group’s secret projects for his father-in-law and Nasrallah.

“Following the disruption of the chain of command leading the secret maritime file, and combined with the information provided by Amhaz during his interrogations, the IDF succeeded in disrupting the progress of the secret maritime project at a critical point in time,” the military affirmed.

Adraee noted: “Hezbollah continues to develop the secret maritime file and its other naval units thanks to Iranian ideological and material support. Instead of investing this massive amount of funds in building Lebanon and its institutions, these funds are allocated to Hezbollah's terrorist activities.”

The kidnapping operation had drawn significant attention across the Arab world, with Hezbollah, the Lebanese government and his family later claiming that Amhaz was a civilian and not connected to the group.