Who is Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike?

On September 19, 2024, the Israeli military conducted an airstrike targeting Hezbollah’s high-ranking military commander, Ibrahim Aqil, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

Aqil was a prominent leader of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, and the U.S. had a $7 million bounty on his head. Originally called the “Rapid Intervention Force,” the unit was renamed in 2008 after the assassination of senior Hezbollah member Imad Mughniyeh, who was known by the alias “el-Hajj Radwan.”

Aqil’s background and role in Hezbollah

In connection with the 1983 bombings of the U.S. embassy and a Marine barracks in Beirut, which claimed over 300 lives, authorities sought Ibrahim Aqil. The U.S. designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019, accusing him of involvement in the abduction of American and German hostages during the 1980s.

He served as a member of Hezbollah’s top military body, the Jihad Council, and played a crucial role in conflicts with Israel. His death marks the second significant loss for Hezbollah’s command structure within two months, following the killing of another commander, Fuad Shukr, in July 2024.

Details of the attack

The airstrike occurred while Aqil was reportedly in a meeting with Hezbollah officials and an unnamed Palestinian group. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the attack resulted in the deaths of eight people, including five children, and left 59 others injured, nine of whom are in critical condition.

Israel’s airstrike in Beirut targeted the Command Committee of Hezbollah’s Radwan Unit. During the meeting that was struck, over 20 commanders from the Radwan Unit were present. Following the airstrike, some leaders of the Radwan Force were reported injured, while the status of many other leaders remains unknown.

Rising tensions and regional implications

Hezbollah views Aqil’s death as a significant military loss, which could potentially escalate tensions between Israel and its neighbors. Israel has increased its attacks in the region in recent months, particularly following the outbreak of conflict in Gaza, which began in October 2023 with a deadly raid by Hamas.

Aqil was one of the founding operatives who played a key role in transforming Hezbollah from a militia into a significant military and political organization in Lebanon. His death is viewed as one of the heaviest blows to Hezbollah’s command structure since the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh in 2008.