On September 20, 2024, a precise airstrike by Israel resulted in the death of Ibrahim Aqil, a high-ranking official within Hezbollah, in southern Beirut.
“Today (Friday), September 20, 2024, IAF aircraft conducted a targeted, intelligence-based strike in the area of Beirut, and eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, the Head of Hezbollah’s Operations Unit and the Commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces, who was also in charge of Hezbollah’s ‘Conquer the Galilee’ attack plan,” IDF stated.
Aqil was responsible for several terrorist attacks, including the 1983 U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut and was a key planner of Hezbollah’s “Conquer the Galilee” attack strategy aimed at infiltrating Israeli communities.
“Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Tahsin, serves on Hizballah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council,” the U.S. State Department previously stated.
“During the 1980s, Aqil was a principal member of Hizballah’s terrorist cell the Islamic Jihad Organization, which claimed responsibility for the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 U.S. personnel.”
“Also in the 1980s, Aqil directed the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon and held them there,” the Department added.
The strike also eliminated senior operatives from Hezbollah’s Radwan Unit, who were planning further attacks against Israel.
“Earlier today, the IDF conducted a targeted strike in Beirut, eliminating Ibrahim Aqil, the head of the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s operations unit, along with the senior chain of command of the Radwan Force. They were gathered underground, beneath a residential building in the heart of the Dahieh neighborhood, using civilians as human shields. They had gathered to coordinate terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel,” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated.
Aqil had been wanted by the U.S., which issued a $7 million bounty for his capture.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated they will continue efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and protect Israeli civilians.
“We remain highly prepared in both offensive and defensive capacities. We are monitoring developments closely, and at this stage, there are no changes to the Home Front Command’s defensive guidelines. We will provide updates immediately should anything change. In the meantime, I urge you to remain vigilant. We are in a tense period, with the IDF operating on multiple fronts, and our enemies are trying—and will continue to try—to challenge us,” Hagari said.
“For the past eleven months, we have been operating resolutely to achieve all the objectives of the war: first and foremost, in Gaza, to dismantle Hamas and bring all the hostages back to Israel, and in the north, to restore the security required for residents to return to their homes,” Hagari concluded.
