From the Liveblog of
Friday, September 20, 2024
IDF confirms it killed top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut; says Aqil was planning invasion of Galilee
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF confirms the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in an airstrike in Lebanon’s capital Beirut earlier this afternoon.
In a statement, the IDF says Aqil was the head of Hezbollah’s military operations, the acting commander of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, and the head of a plan to invade the Galilee.
Alongside Aqil, the top brass of Hezbollah’s operations array and the leadership of the Radwan Force were killed in the strike, according to the military.
“Aqil and the commanders who were eliminated were among the architects of the ‘plan for the occupation of the Galilee,’ in which Hezbollah planned to raid Israeli territory, occupy the communities of the Galilee, murder and kill innocents, similar to what the Hamas terror organization carried out in the murderous massacre on October 7,” the IDF says in the statement.
Aqil joined Hezbollah in the 1980s, and was responsible for the terror group’s attacks outside of Lebanon, according to the IDF. The military says he participated in many attacks in other countries, including targeting civilians.
Since 2004, Aqil has been serving as the head of Hezbollah’s operations array, responsible for the terror group’s bombing and anti-tank attacks, air defenses, and other aspects of the organization.
Additionally, Aqil has been serving as the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, which according to Israel is tasked with potentially invading Israel. The IDF says Aqil was involved in an anti-tank guided missile attack against an army post near Avivim in 2019, a bombing attack at the Megiddo Junction last year, and several attempts by Hezbollah operatives to infiltrate into Israel amid the war.
Aqil had also been wanted by the United States for his role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, as well as directing the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s. The US had placed a $7 million bounty on him.
