Israel Kills Hezbollah Radwan Force Commander

Latest Developments

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated a senior commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in a strike on July 18 on a building in the southern Lebanon town of Jmaijmeh. The IDF said that “Radwan Force’s operations unit commander, the terrorist Ali Jaafar Maatuk was eliminated, along with an additional commander responsible for the Radwan Force’s operations in the Hajir region.” The IDF said that Maatuk and the other commander “promoted numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel.” The strike also eliminated an undisclosed number of Radwan Force members, the IDF noted.

Expert Analysis

“Israeli strikes on high-value Hezbollah targets serve two purposes: Putting pressure on Hezbollah to pressure Hamas into a hostage deal and weakening Hezbollah at a leadership level should no deal emerge and Israel be forced to escalate in southern Lebanon.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Israel and Hezbollah have been locked in a war of attrition for months. Amidst this ongoing clash, the IDF has been scoring consistently painful hits against Hezbollah, eliminating hundreds of junior operatives alongside a series of senior commanders, like Ali Jaafar Maatuk — perhaps reflecting the degree to which Israeli intelligence has successfully penetrated the group.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

Israel Eliminates Hezbollah Terror Commander

Maatuk replaced Radwan Force commander Ali Hassin, who was killed on April 8 by an Israeli strike, a security source told Reuters. The IDF said that fighter jets launched a mission in the Sultaniyeh area of southern Lebanon, specifically targeting Hassin. Hassin was identified by the IDF as the commander responsible for “the planning and execution of terror attacks in the Ramim Ridge area against the Israeli home front.” Notably, his rank was equivalent to that of a brigade commander within Hezbollah’s forces.

The Radwan Force: Hezbollah’s Elite

The Radwan Force, an elite Hezbollah unit of thousands of fighters, was established in 2006. Initially, the unit was named the “Rapid Intervention Force” but was renamed in 2008 following the killing of senior Hezbollah figure Imad Mughniyeh, whose alias was “el-Hajj Radwan.” The Radwan Force is battle-hardened, having fought against ISIS in Syria, where it assisted Bashar al-Assad’s regime in recapturing areas lost to insurgents during the civil war.

Related Analysis

“Israel Eliminates Hezbollah Terror Commander,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Strike Kills Hamas Commander in Lebanon,” FDD Flash Brief

“Two Israeli Civilians Killed by Hezbollah Rocket Barrage in Golan Heights,” FDD Flash Brief