The Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah said on Monday that one of its top commanders was killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.
The Times of Israel reported that Wissam al-Tawil, the top commander of the Iranian-backed terror group’s elite Radwan force, was killed when a missile blew up an SUV he was riding in. The Radwan force exists with the goal of being able to infiltrate and overrun Israel’s northern border.
Video of the aftermath showed the vehicle was totally destroyed from the airstrike, which occurred just a few miles away from the Israeli border. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had conducted “a series of strikes” in the area against Hezbollah targets but did not comment specifically on the strike that hit Tawil.
“The Radwan Force is the most immediate threat to Israel from Hezbollah right now,” said Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Senior Vice President for Research. “This targeted strike appears to be the most significant one scored by Israel against the Iran-backed group since it began attacking Israel on October 8. The question now is whether such strikes deter Hezbollah or if they increase the likelihood of escalation. Either way, Israel has little choice but to respond.”
The Islamic terrorist group has repeatedly launched small scale attacks against Israel since Hamas, an Iranian-backed Islamic terrorist group based inside Gaza, launched an unprecedented terrorist attack against Israel on October 7.
The New York Times noted that Tawil’s death was a significant blow for Hezbollah as Al Manar, a Hezbollah-owned Lebanese broadcaster, and media controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) showed images of Tawil alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian general and terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani.
“Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into a totally unnecessary war,” said Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman. “We are now at a fork in the road. Either Hezbollah backs off, hopefully as part of a diplomatic solution, or we will push it away.”