US official says Israel ineligible for multimillion-dollar bounty for top terrorists killed by IDF

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

A US State Department "Wanted Poster" for Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil. (US State Department)
A US State Department "Wanted Poster" for Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil. (US State Department)

Despite killing a number of terrorists with a multimillion-dollar US Rewards for Justice (RFJ) bounty on their heads, Israel is not eligible to receive any money, a US Embassy official tells The Times of Israel.

“Under RFJ’s statute, officers or employees of a foreign government are not eligible for RFJ rewards for information furnished in the performance of their official duties,” says the spokesperson.

In September, Israel killed Hezbollah Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, who had a $7 million bounty on his head. Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr, taken out by Israel in August, had a $5 million bounty. Both men were accused of orchestrating the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 US troops.

The US was offering $10 million for information on the whereabouts of Hezbollah operative Salim Jamil Ayyash, sentenced in absentia for his role in the 2005 bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Israeli Air Force killed him in November.

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