A Lebanese ship captain abducted by Israeli special forces may have been acting as a double agent.

Imad Ahmaz, described by the Israeli military as a “senior Hezbollah operative”, was extracted from a residential building in Batroun, 20 miles north of Beirut, in Lebanon, on Friday.

At least 12 naval commandos from Shayetet 13 – Israel’s version of the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS) or the US Navy’s SEALs – were involved in the dramatic raid, which was launched from an unknown location in the Mediterranean sea.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the “operative” had been transferred to Israeli territory, where he was being investigated by a military unit.

However, intelligence experts have questioned whether Mr Ahmaz had been serving as a double agent given that the extraction was markedly different from recent operations on Hezbollah targets carried out by Israel.

The operation took place in a residential building just yards from the seafront, and just 400 metres from the Batroun Marina, a popular tourist destination.

The commandos, who were ferried on speedboats, reportedly told residents that they were Lebanese security forces, before breaking down the door to Mr Ahmaz’s apartment.