Israeli forces capture a local Sunni Islamist official and Hamas ally in southern Lebanon

Associated Press (AP)EN 2 min read 100% complete by liveFebruary 9, 2026 at 11:23 AM

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On Monday, Israeli forces captured Atwi Atwi, a local official with the Sunni Islamist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (the Islamic Group), in the village of Hebbarieh in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border. The Israeli military stated the operation was a "targeted intelligence-based operation," but did not release Atwi's name. Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the seizure as a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and demanded Atwi's release. The group's armed wing, Fajr Forces, has joined forces with Hezbollah to launch rockets into Israel in support of Hamas since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Also on Monday, an Israeli drone strike in Yanouh, southern Lebanon, killed three people, including a child.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Nawaf Salam 30% Mohammed Takkoush 40% Muslim Brotherhood ×250% Fajr Forces ×260% al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (Islamic Group) ×470% Hezbollah ×470% Atwi Atwi ×280% Hamas ×480% Lebanon ×580% Israel ×890%

Keywords

southern lebanon 90% israeli forces 80% al-jamaa al-islamiya 80% islamic group 70% hamas ally 70% sunni islamist 70% hezbollah 60% israel-hamas war 60% military operation 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

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Source

Associated Press (AP)

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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southern lebanon israeli forces al-jamaa al-islamiya islamic group hamas ally sunni islamist hezbollah israel-hamas war military operation

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