IDF says Radwan operative captured in Bint Jbeil after firefight that killed Oketz dog

The IDF confirmed on Wednesday evening that soldiers from the 679th "Yiftah" Armored Brigade apprehended a member of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force during operational activity in Bint Jbeil. The capture took place during scans of a specific area where, last week, a Hezbollah operative had opened fire and seriously wounded an Israeli reservist.

During the scans on Tuesday, a Hezbollah gunman opened fire from a building toward the Israeli forces. A dog from the Oketz canine unit was killed in the initial exchange. The dog's handler, a female combat soldier, immediately returned fire. Additional troops from the reserve brigade then surrounded the building and called on the gunman to surrender. When the operative reached for his weapon, the soldiers shot and killed him. No Israeli soldiers were injured in the encounter.

A second operative, identified as a member of the Radwan Force, was captured alive during the same operation. He has been transferred to Israeli territory for interrogation by the Intelligence Directorate's Unit 504, which specializes in human intelligence. The IDF noted that the Radwan Force is the elite commando unit responsible for planning and executing attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel.

This development follows a series of close-quarters encounters in southern Lebanon as the IDF continues to clear Hezbollah infrastructure near the border. The capture of a Radwan operative provides a significant intelligence opportunity for Unit 504 to gather data on the group's remaining tactical deployments in the sector. The IDF stated it will continue operations to remove threats to Israeli civilians and soldiers in the region.