Ibrahim Aqil: Elusive Hezbollah mastermind and one of America's most wanted men (original) (raw)

Aftermath of IDF airstrike on Beirut's Dahieh district

( Reuters)

The target of Friday afternoon's strike in Beirut’s Dahieh district was reportedly Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah’s operations, according to local reports. Aqil is a senior member of the group’s Jihad Council and was previously responsible for its military activities.

The United States designated Aqil a terrorist in 2015, linking him to numerous attacks worldwide and military operations in Syria. In 2019, the U.S. added him to the sanctions list again, freezing any assets under American jurisdiction and banning U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions with him. The same list included Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, who was assassinated in July, and senior member Mohammed Haidar.

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Last year, White House announced a $7 million reward for information on Aqil

(Photo: from X)

Last year, to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, the White House announced a $7 million reward for information on Aqil, who was one of the masterminds of the attack that killed 63 people. Alongside Aqil, Imad Mughniyeh, a former Hezbollah military chief who was killed in a strike attributed to Israel, was also considered responsible for the attack.

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Scene of the strike in Beirut

(Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)

Aqil was also involved in the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. service members. In addition, he oversaw the abduction of American and German hostages in Lebanon and was considered a potential successor to Hezbollah’s military leadership long before Shukr’s assassination, also in Dahieh.

Aqil survived several assassination attempts, including one in February 2000 when Israeli Apache helicopters fired missiles at his car, leaving him lightly wounded.