- Ibrahim Aqil was a senior Hezbollah commander and was wanted by the United States. Main photo: EFE
The Israeli army confirmed on September 20 the death of Hezbollah’s military operations chief, Ibrahim Aqil, along with other members of the elite Radwan forces, in the Israeli bombing of the southern suburb of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
“Under the precise direction of the Intelligence Division, Air Force fighter jets attacked the Beirut area and killed Ibrahim Aqil, the Chief of Operations of the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” reads a military statement.
In addition to Aqil, senior members of the Radwan Force’s chain of command were also killed, according to the Israeli military, which did not give a precise number.
Israeli authorities claimed that a plan called “Conquest of Galilee” was underway, accusing Hezbollah of seeking to “infiltrate communities and kill innocent civilians.” The military statement named Aqil as the ringleader of this plan.
“These commanders had been planning their ‘October 7’ on the northern border for years. We reached out to them and we will reach out to anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens,” said Israel’s Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
Who was Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah’s chief of operations?
Ibrahim Aqil joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and since 2004 has served as its chief of operations, responsible for bombings and anti-tank missile attacks, according to the Israeli military.
As a member of the Jihad Council (Hezbollah’s main military body), he was also wanted by the United States, which in 2024 offered a $7 million reward for information on his whereabouts.
Aqil was accused of belonging to the terrorist cell that claimed responsibility for the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Beirut, where 63 people died in April 1983, and for the attack in October of that same year against the US Marine barracks in Lebanon, where 241 soldiers died.
The US government also accused him of having participated in kidnappings of American and German citizens in Lebanon in the 1980s.
“Selective attack” in Beirut
On September 20, the Israeli army reported a “targeted attack” in southern Beirut, in Dahiyah, a Hezbollah stronghold, without initially specifying the target.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed 12 dead and 66 wounded, 9 of them in critical condition, in the attack. Lebanese Civil Defense teams are searching for survivors in the rubble of two buildings that collapsed as a result of the bombing.
Israeli army chief spokesman Daniel Hagari told a news conference that the target was Aqil and 10 other Hezbollah operatives.
“These commanders were involved in planning anti-tank missile operations, rocket fire and the planned incursion into Israeli territory,” Hagari said. He did not provide details on the identities of the other commanders reportedly killed.
The United Nations (UN) expressed its “deep concern” on September 20 and called for a “de-escalation” and “maximum containment” of the situation.
“We are deeply concerned by the escalation around the Blue Line, including the deadly attack in Beirut. We call on all parties to de-escalate immediately,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
With information from EFE.
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2024-09-21 08:23:40
