An Israeli businessman with ties to Arab business concerns was kidnapped by Hezbollah in a European country. The Israeli is a colonel in the reserves.
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah today announced that the organization’s military arm had succeeded in kidnapping an Israeli colonel. He said, “The officer was kidnapped in a complex operation, about which details will be communicated later.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and security forces began a thorough examination following Nasrallah’s announcement. Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz said at noon that the IDF’s check showed that there had been no unusual events on the Lebanese border.
The Prime Minister’s office announced this afternoon it was investigating the possibility that an Israeli businessman residing overseas, with whom contact had been broken at his own initiative for the last ten days, had been kidnapped by the Hezbollah.
If an Israeli has indeed been kidnapped in a European country, this constitutes an escalation of terrorism. Israeli overseas businessmen have not been kidnapped to date.
The Swiss government announced this afternoon that it was unaware at this stage of the kidnapping of an Israeli businessman in its territory. At the same time, the Swiss government noted that the investigation was continuing.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on October 15, 2000