JERUSALEM – Israel has achieved long-awaited justice for family members of American military and diplomatic personnel who were murdered by Hezbollah, including in the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut.
the alleged initial lack of enthusiasm from the Biden administration and Democratic lawmaker The US government’s action of targeted killings of senior Hezbollah mass murderers has been criticized by top counter-terrorism experts.
Take the example of Israel’s killing on Friday of Ibrahim Aqeel, who was wanted by the United States for the bombing of the American embassy, which killed 63 people, and also for the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, in which the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah killed 241 American servicemen.
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U.S. Marines search for survivors and bodies in the rubble, all that was left of their headquarters barracks in Beirut on Oct. 24, 1983, when a terrorist suicide car bomb rammed into the building and detonated it, killing 241 American troops and wounding more than 60. (Photo: Peter Charlesworth/Light Rocket via Getty Images)
The US had placed a $7 million bounty on the head of Aqeel, who was the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force. In July, Israel killed Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, who like Aqeel was involved in the 1983 Beirut bombings.
“The families of the Marines killed in Beirut have waited decades for justice. I am grateful to Israel for helping them achieve justice by killing Ibrahim Aqeel, one of the world’s most dreaded terrorists. This message must be sent to Iran and Iran’s supporters everywhere,” former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on X.
The Washington Post report Ryan Crocker, whose office was on the fourth floor of the embassy at the time of the explosion, commented on Aqeel’s death, saying, “It’s still a source of some satisfaction that he finally got it.” Crocker has served as US ambassador to Syria, Iraq and several other countries.
Max Abrahms, a leading counterterrorism expert and a political science professor at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital, “Targeted killings have been a cornerstone of the US counterterrorism campaign since the 9/11 attacks. And yet, Israel’s killing of Hezbollah terrorists with American blood-stained hands has been condemned by Democratic leaders.”
He said, “The fact that even targeted killings of terrorists with American blood on their hands are condemned exposes the Democratic leadership, which last year pretended it objected to the post-9/7 Gaza campaign because it had a negative impact on the Palestinian population. As we have seen, the Democratic leadership opposes all Israeli measures to combat terrorism, even those that are fully implemented and cause no harm to civilians.”
Emergency workers use excavator machines to clear debris at the site of Friday’s Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Saturday. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
Following criticism of the Biden administration’s initial lukewarm response to Aqeel’s killing on Friday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan responded on Saturday, calling Aqeel’s death “a good outcome.”
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“That man has the blood of Americans on his hands and there is a bounty on his head,” Sullivan said, adding, “He is someone the United States promised a long time ago that we would do everything possible to bring to justice.”
“John Kirby, a communications adviser on the White House National Security Council, saidFox News Sunday with Shannon Bream“No one, including Secretary Austin, is shedding tears over the death of Mr. Aqeel, who has American blood on his hands. I think the world is better off now with him not there. But that doesn’t mean we want to see an all-out war. We again don’t believe that’s in the best interests of the Israeli people.”
Ibrahim Aqeel was wanted by the United States, and a reward of up to $7 million was offered by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Rewards for Justice program for information leading to his capture. (The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Rewards for Justice program.)
David Wormser, former senior adviser for nonproliferation and Middle East strategy to former Vice President Dick Cheney, told Fox News Digital that, “The success of Israel’s objectives is a multifaceted U.S. interest. First, the elimination of so many key Hezbollah leaders involves the deaths of many who are on U.S. wanted lists, many of whom the United States has placed hefty bounties on. However, despite the bounties, it was clear that the United States had long ago given up on any attempt to bring any of these killers of American soldiers, diplomats, and intelligence officers to justice. Their mass destruction within two or three days by Israel highlights even further the gap between a half-century of lofty rhetoric from the U.S. foreign policy establishment and the more humiliating reality.”
“The US is now adopting a negative stance – drawing parallels between our democratic ally and terrorists whose hands have the blood of thousands of Americans – which is deeply shameful. At least now, even if not by our hands but by Israel’s, our holy soldiers have been avenged,” he said.
Wurmser said that “in the Middle East, we are fortunate to have a powerful and loyal ally that shares our values, Israel, which is drawing on other friendly nations to form a local regional coalition to challenge the forces of instability in the region, most prominently the Iranian regime.”
Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhardt Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital, ,Recently, Israel has in a short time eliminated Hezbollah terrorists who were there from the beginning and were involved in attacks against Americans in the 1980s. The US intelligence agency has been tracking these people for decades.”
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“But these attacks also have very current implications,” he added. Fuad Venus and Ibrahim Akeel, with Ali Karak ExplainedSince his death the three have been working together as the Islamic Jihad organisation. Mustafa Badreddin in Syria Many years ago. He was a foot soldier in the 1980s and rose to the highest ranks of the organisation.”
Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American expert on the Islamic Republic and editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that, “By eliminating Ibrahim Aqeel, Israel has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to combating global terrorism — a fight that serves the interests of all countries dedicated to countering radical extremism.”
Ibrahim Aqeel, another top Hezbollah militant chief, was also killed in the airstrike along with Ahmed Wahbi. (Hezbollah military media via AP)
“Instead of appealing for restraint, the Biden administration should openly applaud Israel’s efforts and offer strong support,” he said. “It’s important to recognize that if groups like Hezbollah and Hamas end their hostilities, we can achieve peace. But if Israel ceases its operations now, it will face continued terrorism, as was the case with the October 7 attacks. Our collective security depends on Israel’s resolve to eliminate these threats.”
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Retired Marine Corps Sergeant Major Steve Aitken, who was stationed on a boat off the coast after the terrorist attack, transporting the wounded to ships for medical treatment. Washington Post He said Aqeel’s death was “God’s judgment”, adding, “You may survive, but you won’t be able to escape… Our memory is long. Israel’s is even longer.”
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also emphasized the significance of Israel’s killing of Aqel. Write on X“Ibrahim Akil was a vicious terrorist mastermind who helped murder hundreds of Americans. On behalf of the families of the Marines killed in the Beirut bombings — and on behalf of all Americans — I am grateful that this killer has finally been brought to justice.”
Aqeel also oversaw Hezbollah’s operations in Syria, where he enabled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to wipe out millions of his own Arab citizens.
