Who is Hezbollah's Ibrahim Aqil, Presumed Commander of Radwan Force?

By Mohammad Al-Jaber

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

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, and the second being to assassinate Hezbollah top commander Hajj Fouad Shokor.

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, 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, 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.