JERUSALEM — Israeli commandos, in a daring raid into Lebanon, on Friday abducted a leader of the militant Hezbollah militia and returned him to Israel, prompting threats of retaliation from the Iranian-backed Shiite group.
The target of the raid, Sheik Abdel Kareem Obeid, a Muslim clergyman, "was known as a preacher and instigator in carrying out attacks against Israel," the Israeli army said.
Obeid's cousin, Ahmad Obeid, and a villager, Hashem Fahes, also were seized. An army spokesman, Col. Ranaan Gissin, said in revealing the raid that all are "safely in Israeli hands and undergoing questioning."
Early Friday, 25 Israeli helicopter-borne commandos landed near the village of Jibchit, about 10 miles north of the Israeli border. Obeid, 36, is both a spiritual leader and political chief in the militant Shiite village.
Equipped With Silencers
Under the cover of a mock jet attack, the Israelis broke into Obeid's house. They carried weapons fitted with silencers.
"They stormed our house and pointed a gun at me and my mother and tied us up. Then they blindfolded my father and the two others and took them away," Saged, one of Obeid's five children, was quoted as saying.
A villager, alternately described as a neighbor of Obeid or one of his guards, was shot and killed when he looked out his door to see what was going on.
All of the commandos returned safely to Israel.
In Beirut, Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah urged Muslims to "stand up to their responsibilities to confront the Israeli crime" and to "let out their anger until Obeid is released safely."
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the action in a statement. "This shameless act by the Zionist regime will not remain unanswered by the Muslim and combatant forces."
Hezbollah, or Party of God, is reported to hold several foreign hostages, including at least two Israeli soldiers and an American Marine, Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, who was abducted in February, 1988, while on a mission for U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Israeli government radio conjectured that the abduction Friday was aimed at setting up a prisoner exchange between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. Army spokesman Gissin fueled the speculation, saying: "Clearly, when you capture one of their top leaders, it can deter terrorism, and you also have a certain amount of leverage in your hands."
