Israel
IDF says it killed Hezbollah commander ‘overseeing plan to invade Galilee’
Ibrahim Aqil was wanted by the United States over a series of horrific terror bombings in the 1980s
September 20, 2024 15:13
By, Jewish News Syndicate
3 min read
Ibrahim Aqil was wanted by the United States over a series of horrific terror bombings in the 1980s
September 20, 2024 15:13ByJC Reporter, Jewish News Syndicate
A senior Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Aqil, was reportedly killed in a targeted IDF strike in Lebanon on Friday.
Aqil, also known as Al-Hajj Abdul Khader, was a member of Hezbollah’s top “military” body, the Jihad Council, which is subordinate to the Shura Council and under the direct control of terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In a statement, the IDF said: “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 was also responsible for the Radwan Force commandos in the Sword of Iron war and led Hezbollah’s tunnel project in Lebanon.
A source close to Hezbollah reported by AFP said, “The Israeli air strike killed Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, its armed force’s second-in-command after Fuad Shukr.”
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration was not given advance notice of the strike.
The United States had placed a $7 million bounty on Aqil’s head. According to the US Department of State, “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 US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, 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 US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and the US Marine Corps barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 US personnel.”
In July, the Israeli Air Force struck in Beirut, killing Fuad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin, a senior member of the Jihad Council who was responsible for the 1983 bombing of US Marines.
In January, an Israeli drone strike on an office in Beirut eliminated Saleh al-Arouri, the commander of Hamas operations on the West Bank and the terrorist group’s deputy politburo chief.
Earlier on Friday, the IDF hit several buildings, a weapons depot and more than 100 loaded, ready-to-fire rocket launchers belonging to Hezbollah across Southern Lebanon, in one of the most significant attacks since the Iranian proxy opened a front against Israel in support of Hamas in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacre.
The Israeli strikes were launched in several waves over the course of the afternoon and following a heavy barrage of some 150 rockets from Lebanon.
Israel has been conducted waves of strikes since dozens of Hezbollah terrorists were killed earlier this week when their communications devices were remote detonated in coordinated attacks attributed to Jerusalem.
On Tuesday, at least 12 Hezbollah terrorists were killed and some 3,000 wounded across Lebanon when their pagers exploded, with the terrorist group saying it held Israel “fully responsible” and vowing revenge.
According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 25 Hezbollah operatives were killed and 450 wounded on Wednesday when their hand-held walkie-talkies exploded.
Nasrallah acknowledged on Thursday that Hezbollah had suffered an unparalleled defeat, saying that the alleged Israeli attacks amounted to a declaration of war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that the current circumstances in the Galilee and the Golan “will not continue.”
He called for a “change in the balance of forces on our northern border,” amid daily attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, while pledging to do “whatever is necessary” to return evacuated residents safely to their homes.
Netanyahu spoke days after he ordered the military to prepare for a broad campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed terrorist army.
On Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the IDF had entered a new stage in the conflict against Iran’s regional terrorist proxies.
“I believe that we are at the beginning of a new period in this war,” he declared, speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa.
“The center of gravity is moving to the north. This means that we are moving forces, resources and energy to the north,” the defense minister said. “We did not forget the hostages, and we did not forget our missions in the south. This is our duty, and we carry it out simultaneously.”
Hours later, IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi approved “attack and defence plans for the north,” the army said. “We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated, I repeat, we have not yet activated,” he said.
“The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be high,” Halevi added.