In a dramatic operation overnight Sunday, IDF special forces raided a building in southern Lebanon and arrested a senior terrorist from the Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terror organization and transferred him to Israel for interrogation.

Shortly after the IDF spokesperson issued a statement about the raid on Monday morning, the Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terror group confirmed the report, stating that IDF soldiers entered the village of Al-Habbariyah on foot and “abducted” Atwi Atwi, one of the organization’s senior terrorists.

The raid, which took place at a building in the Har Dov area only five kilometers from Israel’s northern border, was launched on the basis of intelligence findings collected in recent weeks. The IDF said that weapons were found in the building.

The Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terror group, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon, has carried out and promoted multiple attacks against Israel since the outbreak of the war following the October 7 massacre—at times operating in coordination with Hezbollah.

Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya is a Sunni Islamist movement founded in 1964 as the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The group advocates for implementing Islamic law across Lebanon and maintains a presence throughout much of the country.

Its military wing, the Al-Fajr Forces, was formed in 1982 during Israel’s First Lebanon War and fought the IDF until Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.

As a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya shares close ideological alignment with Hamas. Some reports say that Hamas even pays salaries to some of its Lebanese members. The groups have conducted “joint operations” in southern Lebanon since October 8, 2023, and issued joint statements about fallen fighters. Two of Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya operatives were killed in the same Israeli airstrike that eliminated Hamas deputy political bureau chief Saleh al-Arouri.

Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya also maintains ties and cooperation with Hezbollah, despite deep ideological differences. The two groups fought together against the IDF after Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and cooperated in terror activities against Israel after the October 7 massacre. At least 10 of its terrorists—some identified as commanders—were killed during the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024.

Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya is also now entrenched in southern Syria. In November 2025, IDF forces carried out an arrest operation in the village of Beit Jann in southern Syria against Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya terrorists who were planning attacks against IDF soldiers and targets in Israel. In the ensuing firefight, six IDF soldiers were wounded, and about 20 terrorists were killed.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)