Wissam al-Tawil
Wissam al-Tawil | |
|---|---|
| Native name | وسام الطويل[1] |
| Born | 1970 Tyre, Lebanon |
| Died | 8 January 2024 (aged 53–54) Majdel Selm, Lebanon |
| Allegiance |  Hezbollah |
| Service/ | Redwan Force |
| Years of service | 1989–2024 |
| Battles/wars |
|
Wissam al-Tawil (
Arabic: وسام الطويل; 1970 or 1976 – 8 January 2024), also known as Wissam Tawil or Jawad al-Tawil (Arabic: جواد الطويل), was a Lebanese militant and senior commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force
.
After joining Hezbollah in 1989, he participated in some of the group's biggest military engagements, including the
Qassem Soleimani of Iran's Quds Force
.
Military career
Born in
Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds Force.[3]
When Hezbollah joined fighting in the
Syrian Arab Army in fighting against the Islamic State and in supporting the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad as a close aide to Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah's chief commander in Syria.[3] He also participated in the Houthi takeover in Yemen, facilitating the transfer of long-range missiles to the movement.[5][6]
At the time of his death, he held the position of deputy commander within Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit.[7] According to Israel, he was responsible for the strike on Israel's air force base in Mount Meron, which occurred two days before his assassination.[8]
Death
On 8 January 2024, al-Tawil was killed by an Israeli airstrike against a vehicle in the village of
2023 Israel–Hezbollah conflict.[9] According to some Arab media outlets, he was reportedly the brother-in-law of Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah.[10]
In response to al-Tawil's killing, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israel's Northern Command headquarters in Safed on the following day, situated approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the border.[11]
References
- ^ "Israeli strike kills top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon". Middle East Eye. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "بعد استشهاده في قصف إسرائيلي.. من هو وسام الطويل القائد الميداني بحزب الله؟" [After his martyrdom in an Israeli bombing... Who is Wissam Al-Tawil, Hezbollah's field commander?] (in Arabic). elaosboa. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Mroue, Bassem (8 January 2024). "Slain Hezbollah commander fought in some of the group's biggest battles, had close ties to leaders". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "صهر زعيم حزب الله.. تفصيل مفاجئ عن وسام الطويل؟!" [Hezbollah leader's son-in-law...a surprising detail about Wissam Al-Taweel] (in Arabic). Al Arabiya. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ ""نسيب نصر الله ومرافق لسليماني": من هو وسام الطويل القيادي البارز بحزب الله الذي اغتيل جنوب لبنان؟" ["Nasrallah's brother-in-law and Soleimani's companion": Who is Wissam al-Taweel, the prominent Hezbollah leader who was assassinated in southern Lebanon?] (in Arabic). i24 News. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "تراند اليوم : كان مقربا من الهالك قاسم سليماني.. أنور مالك يعلق على مقتل القيادي في حزب الله وسام الطويل" [Today's Trend: He was close to the perished Qassem Soleimani.. Anwar Malek comments on the killing of Hezbollah leader Wissam Al-Taweel] (in Arabic). Gulf365. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Israeli strike on Lebanon kills senior commander in elite Hezbollah unit". Reuters. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah says Israel kills top commander amid fears of Gaza war escalation". Al Jazeera. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "حزب الله يعلن استشهاد أرفع قيادي بصفوفه منذ بدء الحرب مع الاحتلال ...الشرق الأوسط" [Hezbollah announces the martyrdom of its highest-ranking leader since the start of the war with the occupation... The Middle East] (in Arabic). pressbee. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah senior commander killed in targeted strike; Netanyahu warns terror group is 'making mistake'". All Israel News. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Hezbollah launches drone attack on Israel in response to top commander's killing". Middle East Monitor. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
