Who is "Ibrahim Aqil", the Hezbollah leader who was killed by Israel in the southern suburb?

Washington also accused him of being behind the kidnapping of American and German hostages in Lebanon and classified him as a specially designated global terrorist in 2019, with a $7 million reward for anyone who helps enable him.

Referring to the attack on the US Marine barracks and other attacks targeting Western interests in Lebanon in the 1980s, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a 2022 interview with an Arab station that those attacks were carried out by small groups not affiliated with Hezbollah.

Aqeel's founding group of operatives helped transform Hezbollah from a little-known armed faction into the most powerful military and political organization in Lebanon, helping end the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000 before re-entering conflict with Israel in 2006.

Shukr's killing in July was seen as the most severe blow to Hezbollah's leadership structure since the 2008 assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, whom Hezbollah describes as a legendary commander but is considered a terrorist by Israel and the United States.

The killing of Aqeel could represent another major blow to the group, given that the United States has offered a higher bounty on his head than it did for Shukr.

Source: Reuters