Barran Press
Beirut, Lebanon - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Friday, September 20th, 2024, that they had killed Ibrahim Aqil, the acting head of Hezbollah's elite "Radwan" unit and the group's second-in-command, in a targeted airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The IDF statement claimed that the strike had eliminated several key figures in the command structure of Hezbollah's operations and Radwan unit, of which Aqil was the de facto leader.
The statement further alleged that Aqil and the other commanders killed were involved in planning Hezbollah's "Galilee Invasion" plan, aimed at capturing towns in northern Israel and killing civilians, similar to Hamas's attack on October 7th.
The airstrike came in the wake of a series of Israeli military operations targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, including airstrikes and a series of explosions that damaged communication equipment used by the group, resulting in the deaths of 37 people and injuries to approximately 3,000 others on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Aqil, also known as Tahseen, was on the US wanted list and considered the second-highest ranking military figure in Hezbollah after Fouad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs on July 30th.
Aqil was a member of the "Jihad Council," Hezbollah's highest military body, according to the US State Department.
In the 1980s, Aqil was a key member of the Islamic Jihad organization, a Hezbollah-affiliated terrorist cell responsible for the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people. The cell also claimed responsibility for the attack on US Marine barracks in Beirut in October 1983, resulting in the deaths of 241 Americans.
In 2023, the US Rewards for Justice program offered a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to Aqil's capture.
On July 21st, 2015, the US Treasury Department designated Aqil as a terrorist under Executive Order 13582 for acting for or on behalf of Hezbollah.
On September 10th, 2019, the US State Department designated Aqil as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224, as amended.