Latest Developments
The toll of Hezbollah terrorist leaders killed with top commander Ibrahim Aqil in a September 20 Israeli air strike has risen to 15. An Israel Defense Forces statement released September 21 provided an updated toll from the air strike on Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh district. An IDF tweet states that the result is “Hezbollah’s military chain of command has been almost completely dismantled.”
The 15 additional Hezbollah fatalities identified include Radwan’s chief of staff, Hussein Ahmad Dahraj; Radwan’s chief of operations, Hassan Yussef Abad Alssatar; Radwan’s training director, Mohammad Kassem Al-Attar; and Radwan’s former commander turned head of its training unit, Abu Hussan Samir.
Samir was among the architect’s of a Hezbollah plan to send thousands of Radwan fighters into northern Israel to overrun civilian communities and army bases, in a manner akin to Hamas’s October 7 invasion from Gaza.
In an indication that Hezbollah was about to put that plan into action, the dead from the Beirut strike also included five commanders of sectors of southern Lebanon overlooking the Israeli communities of Rosh Hanikra and Nahariya; Kiryat Shmona and Margalit; Metulla; Dan and Dafna; and Avivim and Shtula.
Expert Analysis
“This strike was a tremendous strategic feat, which both headed off a major Hezbollah escalation and removed much of its senior terrorist leadership. Radwan, the tip of Iran’s spear in Lebanon, has been badly blunted. Even a perfunctory assessment makes clear that Israeli went above and beyond adherence to the laws of war, given the overwhelming military value of the targets.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO
“The elimination of top Hezbollah commanders in the terrorist organization’s Radwan force is an important achievement for Israel. Hezbollah has been attacking Israel daily for eleven months and now it is suffering losses to its top ranks that may help deter the Iranian-backed terrorist group from further attacks. It is important to turn the tables on Hezbollah’s aggression and remove it as a threat to Israel and the region.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow