Who Was Ibrahim Aqil, ‘Old School’ Hezbollah Commander Killed In Israeli Airstrike?

Israel on Friday announced the killing of Hezbollah’s elite unit commander in a strike that Lebanese officials reported resulted in 14 deaths and numerous injuries in Beirut. Ibrahim Aqil, sought by the US for his role in the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, led the Iran-backed militant group’s elite Radwan Force.

AFP journalists reported that the strike created a massive crater and severely damaged the lower floors of a high-rise building in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah confirmed Aqil’s death, labeling him “one of its great leaders” who was killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” a term the group uses for fighters killed by Israel.

Aqil’s death marked the second killing of a senior Hezbollah commander since the onset of the Gaza conflict. In July, another Israeli strike in Beirut took the life of Fuad Shukr, a top operations chief for the group.

Ibrahim Aqil, born in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, joined Hezbollah during its early days in the 1980s. Aqil had been a member of Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council, since 2008 and led the elite Radwan Forces, which gained experience in urban warfare and counterinsurgency while fighting in Syria.

Little is known about Aqil, who ascended through the ranks of the group’s military command over the years. Military analyst Elijah Magnier described him as part of the group’s old guard. Magnier noted that Aqil was involved from Hezbollah’s inception, taking on various responsibilities.

He highlighted the significance of being on the Jihad Council and leading the Radwan Forces. The US had offered up to $7 million for information on Aqil, who was also under US sanctions. In 2015, the Treasury Department labeled him a “terrorist,” and the State Department designated him a “global terrorist.”

Mohannad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, described Aqil as an “old school” military commander with close ties to Iran. He underwent three years of officer training in Iran and participated in all the conflicts in Lebanon and Syria.