Israel confirms death of Hezbollah operations chief – La Página Newspaper – 2024-09-24 02:56:57

The Israeli Army confirmed the death on Friday (20.09.2024) of Hezbollah’s head of military operations, Ibrahim Aqil, along with other members of the Radwan elite forces, in the Israeli bombing of the southern suburb of Beirut.

“Under the precise direction of the Intelligence Division, Air Force fighter jets attacked the Beirut area and killed Ibrahim Aqil, the Chief of Operations of the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the military statement said.

In addition to Aqil, senior members of the Radwan Force’s chain of command were also killed, according to the Israeli military, which did not give a precise number.

All of them “were planning the ‘Conquest of Galilee’ attack, with which Hezbollah – an organisation considered a terrorist organisation by the EU and various Western countries – intended to infiltrate Israeli communities and kill innocent civilians,” the military statement said, pointing to Aqil as the ringleader of this plan.

“These commanders had been planning their ‘October 7’ on the northern border for years. We reached out to them and we will reach out to anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens,” said Israel’s Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

A wanted Hezbollah veteran

Aqil joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and since 2004 has served as its chief of operations, responsible for bombings and anti-tank missile attacks, according to the Israeli military.

As a member of the Jihad Council (Hezbollah’s main military body), he was also wanted by the United States, which last year offered a $7 million reward for information on his whereabouts.

Aqil was accused of belonging to the terrorist cell that claimed responsibility for the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Beirut, where 63 people died in April 1983, and the attack in October of that year against the US Marine barracks in Lebanon, where 241 soldiers died.

Washington also accused him of having participated in kidnappings of American and German citizens in Lebanon in the 1980s.