IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari commented on Friday on the air strike in Beirut in which top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was eliminated.
“Earlier today, the IDF conducted a targeted strike in Beirut, eliminating Ibrahim Aqil, the head of the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s operations unit, along with the senior chain of command of the Radwan Force,” said Hagari. “They were gathered underground, beneath a residential building in the heart of the Dahieh neighborhood, using civilians as human shields. They had gathered to coordinate terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel.”
“Aqil and the Radwan Force commanders we struck were the masterminds of and the force behind Hezbollah’s plan to execute an attack on Northern Israel on what they referred to as the ‘Plan to Conquer the Galilee.’ As part of this plan, Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israel, seize control of the communities in the Galilee, and to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians, much like Hamas did on October 7th. Since October 8th, these commanders led attacks against Israel’s citizens and were planning further operations,” continued the IDF Spokesperson.
“Ibrahim Aqil was the head of Hezbollah’s operations and the de facto commander of the Radwan Force, Hezbollah’s elite force. In his role, he was responsible for Hezbollah's anti-tank, explosives, and air defense operations, among other activities. He orchestrated numerous terrorist attacks, including the 2019 Avivim outpost attack, the 2023 Megiddo Junction bombing, and attempted infiltrations into Israel. He was also behind Hezbollah’s overseas attacks. Aqil had large amounts of blood on his hands, was responsible for the deaths of many innocent civilians, and was wanted by the United States, which offered millions of dollars of bounty for information that could lead to his elimination.”
Hagari stressed, “We remain highly prepared in both offensive and defensive capacities. We are monitoring developments closely, and at this stage, there are no changes to the Home Front Command's defensive guidelines. We will provide updates immediately should anything change. In the meantime, I urge you to remain vigilant. We are in a tense period, with the IDF operating on multiple fronts, and our enemies are trying—and will continue to try—to challenge us.”
“For the past eleven months, we have been operating resolutely to achieve all the objectives of the war: first and foremost, in Gaza, to dismantle Hamas and bring all the hostages back to Israel, and in the north, to restore the security required for residents to return to their homes. The IDF will continue to operate wherever necessary to protect the citizens of Israel,” he stressed.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said following Friday’s elimination, “The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7th’ on the northern border for years. We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)