The Israeli army announced in a statement today, Friday, that it had adopted the targeting of Hezbollah leaders in the southern suburbs, including Ibrahim Aqeel, head of the party’s operations system, the de facto commander of the Radwan Force, and the leader of Hezbollah’s plan to occupy the Galilee.

The Israeli army statement said, “Earlier today, warplanes carried out a precise raid in the Beirut area, under the intelligence guidance of the Military Intelligence Authority, and eliminated the so-called Ibrahim Aqeel, head of the operations system in Hezbollah and the actual commander of the Radwan Force.”

He added, "In the raid, Aqeel and senior leaders in the leadership of the operations system and the Radwan Force were eliminated." 

The statement indicated that “Aqil and the leaders who were liquidated were among the planners of Hezbollah’s plan to storm the Galilee, which aimed to storm the towns of the Galilee and kill civilian citizens in a manner similar to what the terrorist Hamas carried out on October 7 (last). 

The statement pointed out that “Aqeel began his career in Hezbollah in the 1980s in the Islamic Jihad apparatus, which is considered the apparatus responsible for Hezbollah’s terrorist operations outside Lebanese territory, and played a role in carrying out terrorist operations in various countries against foreign parties and citizens.” 

Since 2004, Aqeel has been responsible for "Hezbollah's operations system responsible for the activities of the party's forces in the areas of sabotage, anti-armor missiles, explosive devices, air defense areas, and other military fields." 

He continued: “The so-called Aqeel also served as the commander of the Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s elite force, which aimed to occupy the towns of Galilee and kill innocent soldiers and civilians. Ibrahim Aqeel promoted the implementation of terrorist operations and plans against the Israeli forces.”

He also indicated that he was “responsible for the operation to launch the anti-tank missile at the Avivim site in 2019, the sabotage operation at the Megiddo Junction in 2023, and the attempts of Hezbollah members to infiltrate Israeli territory with the aim of killing Israeli citizens and soldiers during the war.”