Israel on Friday killed Ibrahim Aqil, a Hezbollah leader who was behind a series of bombing attacks that killed more than 300 Americans in the 1980s.
During the strike earlier Friday, senior operatives in Hezbollah’s operations staff and commanders from the Radwan Unit were eliminated alongside Aqil.
The terrorists were killed while meeting to plan a fresh incursion into Israel to “kidnap and murder innocent civilians in a similar manner to the October 7 Massacre,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
“The IDF will continue to remove the threat of Hezbollah’s capabilities and will continue to operate in all arenas to protect Israeli civilians,” the military said in its announcement.
Aqil, who was also known as Tahsin, was a “principal leader” in the terrorist group’s cell responsible for the 1983 Lebanon bombings at a US Embassy in Beirut that killed 63 people and a Marine Corps barracks that killed 241 US personnel — 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers.
The US announced a $7 million reward in April last year for any info as to his whereabouts.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he was “certainly not aware of any pre-notification [by the IDF to Washington] of those strikes,” noting that it was “not atypical” for the Israeli military to strike without giving the US a heads-up.
Lebanese health officials said at least 12 people were killed and 66 wounded, nine of whom are in serious condition.
It comes during a week marked by high-profile IDF targetings of Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy group based in Lebanon, which is just north of Israel.
On Tuesday, Israel’s elite Mossad intelligence and covert operations agency unleashed a long-planned attack in which it blew up pagers belonging to Hezbollah members, killing 12 and injuring 2,800.
The next day, the agency detonated walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, killing 20 and injuring 450 more.
Hezbollah has been launching near-daily airstrikes — starting almost immediately after Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians, said Nicolas Carl, research manager for the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project.
“Israeli senior political and military leaders have been very clear in this time that they see the security situation along their northern border as unsustainable,” Carl told The Post on Wednesday.
The strikes began just a day after Israel’s security cabinet approved “returning the residents of the north securely to their homes” as a formal war objective.
That came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said a political settlement alone will not return displaced citizens to northern Israel and that Israel is “preparing for a broad campaign” to this effect.
Had a relative killed in the attack in 1983 he was behind. Glad he’s gone, but it took to long!!
Most Wars in my lifetime my heart & mind have been on either the Offense or Defense – this one, damn I’m one of Israel’s biggest CHEERLEADERS! I was so hoping that I would wake up on the 3rd day and read yet another devious way that Israel sent more Hezbollah Terrorists off to meet Allah and bang 72 virgins – – Those 2 days in a row was an adrenalin rush! WTG Israel I bow to thy creativity – plus synchronization and the sayings “Better Late Than Never” AND “Everything old is New Again” (using old technology in new ways reference) = = = I rate this week in Israels’ History a SOLID 9.
I’m not sure how many more Hezbollah’s are left, from those barely off the Mothers teet and beginning to train to kill anyone that doesn’t have the same beliefs that they do – all the way to those that would use bow & arrow, old cannons or whatever they could find and have 100’s notched on their bedpost that WE (Nationally) need to rid from using another minute of our “limited due to climate change” oxygen ~ but to get our Gold Star Military Families some justice after 41 years that they have visited with their children in the Cemetery – I say Thank You Israel. I will keep all of your soldiers and strategic planning teams in my daily prayers that you are able to rid this World of every last Hezbollah and Hamas breathers and then the World can rejoice and feel some vindication for October 7th, the US Embassy 41 years ago and a long, long history of damages & destruction they’ve done for decades.
I have to commend those that truly exemplify the ACT OF “Never Forget” versus the demented stool pigeon shuffling around The White House in his diaper, that Democrat Politician that was in Office in 1983, as a Senator from Delaware who never missed a chance to Talk a Big Game, utilize all the facts of someone else’s tragedy to never fail bring it around full circle and spin a tall tale about how He & Jill or Uncle Finnegan once experienced something so much worse – so Joe CAN appreciate it a way that no one else could possibly ~
~ Continued news like this from Israel will help and perhaps an update from Karine Jean Pierre as to how the Humanitarian Gaza Pier is working out currently (LOL) – Has Joe Biden commissioned his son, Hunter Biden the famous artist, to create signage that can be welded onto the 320 Million dollars repurposed rust barges that ALL of the TOP Military Advisors were 100% against using as a “floating pier” as they were too old and had a few hundred holes throughout each of the hulls; among a long list of scientific factual reasons as to WHY using them would not be in our best interest, ever.. We could have had 70 (Seventy) Six Million Dollar Mans in lieu of these sunken Biden Barges. I think it is only appropriate that Hunter create something that dedicate the environmental water hazards to Joe Biden – France created the Statue of Liberty and gifted it to us so this should be forever remembered as being from Joe Biden ~ it’s only fitting for Gaza.
To think CIA/FBI could “NOT” bring this man down, “BUT” America’s ally Israel did~ IDF did a brilliant job, Thank you.