Hezbollah’s top commander is saved behind a veil
1983 US Embassy bombing
US Designates ‘Special Terrorists’ to Track
White House Supports Israel, “Delivering Justice”
‘Wanted to save’ flyer A wanted poster for Ibrahim Aqil released by the U.S. State Department last year. Photo source: U.S. State Department Following the serial bombings of thousands of pagers and portable radios, Israel has been escalating its offensive against the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. After carrying out a large-scale airstrike in southern Lebanon on the 19th, it targeted and killed Ibrahim Aqil, considered one of Hezbollah’s top military commanders, on the 20th. It is continuing its airstrikes against Hezbollah.
According to the Times of Israel, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on the 22nd that “(the attack on Hezbollah) will continue until the people of the north (the border area with Lebanon) can safely return to their homes.”
Hezbollah is also increasing its counterattack level. According to Al Jazeera and the Guardian, Hezbollah fired at least 115 rockets toward Israel on the 22nd. Some of them landed in Haifa, Israel’s northern stronghold and third-largest city.
As the fighting between the two sides intensifies, concerns are growing that it could escalate into an all-out war. There is also analysis that Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in the largest-scale fighting since the Gaza War broke out in October of last year. Some are predicting that Hezbollah and Israel could each deploy ground forces across the border and engage in a ground war.
● Hezbollah’s top commander killed
According to AFP and other news agencies, on the 20th, residential buildings in the Dahiyeh area on the southern outskirts of Beirut, known as Hezbollah’s stronghold, were targeted by Israeli airstrikes. It is reported that at least 37 Hezbollah officials and civilians were killed as a result. In particular, the airstrike killed Aqil, the commander of the elite special operations unit “Radwan,” and Ahmad Wahbi, the unit’s second-in-command.
Aqil, who is believed to be in his 60s, is a secretive figure even within Hezbollah, known by his pseudonym, ‘Haz Abdul Qader’. However, he is an important figure, second in command after Fuad Shukr, the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander, who was killed by the Israeli army in July. According to Israel, Aqil, who has been involved since the founding of Hezbollah in 1982, has been in charge of Hezbollah operations since 2004, commanding anti-tank missile units and other units.
In particular, Akyil is known to be the mastermind behind the bombings of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in 1983, which killed over 300 people. The U.S. designated him as a “special terrorist” in 2019. Last year, it offered a reward of up to $7 million (about 9.35 billion won) for information related to him.
The Israeli military claims that it has eliminated all key commanders except for three, including top leader Hassan Nasrallah, from Hezbollah’s chain of command. The British Financial Times (FT) also commented that “(Aqil’s death) is the biggest blow to Hezbollah since its formation.”
Israeli military chief spokesman Major General Daniel Hagari confirmed the killing at a press conference on the 20th, saying, “Aqil is the main culprit responsible for the deaths of countless civilians and innocent people.” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also supported the killing, saying, “It is a good outcome that justice is being served to the terrorist who killed Americans.”
● “Hezbollah may engage in an all-out war with its life on the line”
On the 22nd, Hezbollah fired at least 115 rockets and other weapons toward Israel, some of which landed in the northern city of Haifa. The Israeli military said that this was an “attack on civilian areas” and that “we are striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.” Pro-Iran militants in Iraq also announced in a statement that they had launched drone attacks on Israel early that morning.
The previous day, both sides continued their offensive. On the 21st, the Israeli army launched airstrikes on 400 Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah also said it had fired dozens of missiles at Israel’s Ramat David air base. The air base, located 50km from the border, is the furthest target Hezbollah has attacked since the start of the Gaza war.
The New York Times (NYT) expressed concern that “Israel’s attempt to subdue Hezbollah could lead Hezbollah to engage in a ground war with all its might.” Lina Khatib, a senior researcher at Chatham House in the UK, analyzed in the NYT that “the 18-year mutual deterrence (since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war) is now entering a new phase of Israeli dominance.”
Reporter Kim Bo-ra purple@donga.com
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