Who is Ibrahim Aqil, target of Israel's Beirut strike? - explainer

Israel's attack in Beirut on Friday afternoon allegedly targeted the head of Hezbollah's Operations Division, Ibrahim Aliq, Israeli media confirmed on Friday morning.

So, who is this leader in the terrorist organization, and why did Israel allegedly want to take him down?

Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Tahsin, "serves on Hezbollah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council," according to the Rewards for Justice Program, the United States Department of State's national security interagency program that offers reward for information leading to the location or an arrest of leaders of terrorist groups.

During the 1980s, Aqil, according to the program, "was a principal member of Islamic Jihad Organization—[Hezbollah's] terrorist cell—that claimed the bombings of the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people."

Designation as a global terrorist

The US State Department designated Aqil as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019 as a result of his involvement in multiple terrorist plots, including the kidnapping of national officials in the 1980s.

Therefore, the Department of State has placed a reward of up to $7 million on his head.

"Plan to Conquer the Galilee"

In a Friday statement confirming Aqil's death, IDF spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari noted that he was the leader and architect of Hezbollah's "Plan to Conquer the Galilee."

The Radwan Force commanders killed alongside Aqil in the strike were likewise involved in the plan, Hagari added.

"Hezbollah intended, on the day of command, to invade Israeli territory, seize Galilee communities, and murder innocent civilians, similar to what Hamas did during the brutal massacre on October 7," the IDF spokesperson said of the Hezbollah plan.

According to Hagari, Aqil, since 2004, has served as head of Hezbollah's Operations Division. In this role, he reportedly oversaw a variety of terror activities, including bombings and anti-tank missile fire on Israeli territory. He also allegedly oversaw activities related to explosive devices and air defense, among others.

In 2019, the same year the US State Department proscribed Aqil as a global terrorist, the Hezbollah leader orchestrated an anti-tank missile attack on Avivim, Hagari continued, adding that, last year, he oversaw the terror attack at the Megiddo Junction.

Throughout the war, the Radwan Force leader also reportedly orchestrated terrorist infiltration attempts into northern Israel.