[News] Who was Hezbollah's Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the Radwan Force?

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-hezbollah-s-ibrahim-aqil--presumed-commander-of-radwa>
Who was Hezbollah's Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the Radwan Force?
Mohammad Al-Jaber
September 20, 2024
------------------------------

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of Commander Aqil comes after a blessed
life full of jihad, work, wounds, sacrifices, risks, challenges,
achievements, and victories.

[image: 2b3c7248-9ad6-4e55-aee0-8eaa1688666e.jpg]

   - Who was Hezbollah's Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the Radwan Force?

The Israeli occupation forces on Friday bombarded the Southern Suburb of
Beirut targeting a residential building,  crossing yet another red line
that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon had drawn and inflicting more terror
on Lebanese civilians.

The strike was launched via fighter jet due to the size of the heavy bombs
deployed. The target was a residential building in a residential area that
houses a large number of schools, and *Al Mayadeen reported* that the
aggression was comprised of four missiles hitting the building.

The strike constitutes the third violation of the stipulations put in place
by Hezbollah, as they had underlined that Beirut was completely off-limits
for the Israeli occupation with the war of attrition being concentrated in
Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley.

The deterrence equation would not be violated for just any target, and the
Israeli occupation had shown before that it would only strike Beirut's
Southern Suburb only if the target was worthy of the escalation that would
follow suit.

"Israel" struck Beirut only twice before Friday, the first being to
assassinate the Deputy Chief of Hamas' Political Bureau, Sheikh Saleh
al-Arouri
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-saleh-al-arouri--hamas-resistance-leader-killed-by--i>,
and the second being to assassinate Hezbollah top commander Hajj Fouad
Shokor
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-fouad-shokor--and-why-did--israel--target-him>
.
Who is Ibrahim Aqil

Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Hajj Abdul-Qader, is a senior Hezbollah
official who has been operating with the Resistance since its inception in
the 1980s, but very little information is known about him, as his life has
been shrouded in secrecy due to the nature of his post.

This is customary for senior commanders in the Islamic Resistance in
Lebanon. As seen with Commander Fouad Shokor, more information will be
revealed about the martyr at a later time, and only what the Resistance
deems fit will make it to the public.

Ibrahim Aqil, known by his aliases of Hajj Abdul-Qader and Hajj Tahsin, was
born in the Baalbek-Hermel governorate in eastern Lebanon. Publicly
available information points to either Younine or Bednayel, but nothing is
for certain. He was born between 1958-1962.

His path of Resistance started in the 1980s with the formation of
Hezbollah, serving in the military wing of the resistance movement, claimed
by the United States to have been behind the bombings of the US embassy in
Beirut in April 1983 and the bombing of the US marines barracks in October
1983, which killed 241 US personnel.

The Reagan administration at the time accused Hezbollah of planning both
attacks, but no evidence was produced. The US allegations gave
international prominence to numerous Hezbollah members, including martyrs
Hajj Mostafa Badreddine, Hajj Imad Mughniyeh
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-imad-mughniyeh--hezbollah-s-mastermind-legendary-stra>,
Hajj Fouad Shokor, and Hajj Ibrahim Aqil, as they were all placed on terror
lists.

The United States alleges that Aqil also directed the kidnappings of
American and German citizens in Lebanon in the hostage crisis that took
place between 1982 and 1992 in close collaboration with Martyr Imad
Mughniyeh. However, Hezbollah denies any involvement in these operations.

Little to nothing is known about Aqil's responsibilities over the past 40
years other than him being a senior and core Hezbollah commander.

It is not even known what his position was at the time of the
assassination, as it is possible that there was a hierarchical reshuffle
within Hezbollah following the assassination of commander Shokor, as all
information regarding such inner workings is highly classified.
Assassination attempts

There is only one attempt on Aqil's life that is known to the public, which
was ahead of the occupation's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, wherein an
attack helicopter fired a missile toward his location, which he survived.
It is not known whether he sustained any injuries.
'Terrorist' designation

Nothing was said about or heard of Aqil for the following 15 years until
the US Department of the Treasury designated him pursuant to Executive
Order 13582 for being a Hezbollah member and then in 2019, he was
designated as a "specially designated global terrorist".
Radwan Force

Aqil's name made its rounds in news reports back in December in light of
escalating tensions between Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation, as
Israeli media said he was identified as the head of the Radwan Force, which
has been a heavy-hitter against the Israeli occupation forces during the
ongoing confrontations on the northern front.

The Radwan Force is Hezbollah's most trained unit, serving as one of the
most efficient military units in the region. It is named after martyr Imad
Mughniyeh, whose alias was Hajj Radwan. It is a commando force whose main
goal is to penetrate deep into enemy territory.

Today, the unit, under which various divisions operate, including armored,
anti-armor, and fire-support divisions, stands as the culmination of martyr
Mughniyeh and martyr Aqil's struggle in the face of the colonialist and
imperialist ambitions in the region. Its name reverberates throughout the
Israeli occupation and it is feared even by its upper echelons due to its
vast and sophisticated capabilities.

Israeli senior officers have repeatedly underlined that the force is
capable of launching coordinated attacks
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-officers-warn-of-increased-threat-of-radwan-force-in>,
including the infiltration of Israeli settlements or military positions,
underlining that even in the midst of the war, it is undergoing extensive
training to launch a ground offensive against the Israeli occupation.

While the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil is definitely a blow to Hezbollah,
the Resistance movement said its steadfastness will not waver, and its
operations will continue as normal. While leaders and commanders are of
high importance to the movement, its continuation is not in any way
dependent on any individual, as the structure ensures the preservation of
the movement and its military operations regardless of the loss of any
senior officials, with the goal of liberation at the forefront.
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