Wissam al-Tawil

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Wissam al-Tawil
Native name
وسام الطويل[1]
Nickname(s)Jawad
Born1970 (1970)
Tyre, Lebanon
Died8 January 2024(2024-01-08) (aged 53–54)
Majdel Selm, Lebanon
Cause of deathAirstrike by Israel
Allegiance Hezbollah
Service / branchRedwan Force
Years of service1989–2024
Battles / wars
Relations2 Unknown Brothers [2]

Wissam al-Tawil (Arabic: وسام الطويل;‎ 1970 – 8 January 2024), also known as 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 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid that sparked the 2006 Lebanon War. During the Syrian Civil War, Tawil led the group's coordination with the Syrian Army and was a close aide of Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah's chief commander in Syria. Tawil also maintained close ties with Imad Mughniyeh and Qasem Soleimani of Iran's Quds Force.

Early life and military career

Born in Tyre, Lebanon in 1970,[3] al-Tawil joined Hezbollah in 1989[4] and actively engaged in numerous guerrilla attacks against Israeli forces and their Lebanese allies during the South Lebanon conflict.[5] He was a member of a Hezbollah special unit that crossed into Israel during the 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid that led to the capture of two Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser and sparked the monthslong 2006 Lebanon War. During his years with Hezbollah, Tawil was close with the group's founding military chief Imad Mughniyeh, until the latter's assassination in 2008. He also had close links with Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran's Quds Force.[4]

When Hezbollah intervened in the Syrian Civil War in 2011, al-Tawil was in charge of coordinating between Hezbollah and the Syrian Army in fighting against the Syrian rebels and in supporting the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad as a close aide to Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah's chief commander in Syria.[4] He also participated in the Houthi takeover in Yemen, facilitating the transfer of long-range missiles to Yemen's Houthi movement.[6][7]

At the time of his death, he held the position of deputy commander within Hezbollah's elite Radwan Unit.[8] 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.[9]

Death

On 8 January 2024, al-Tawil was killed by an Israeli airstrike against a vehicle in the village of Majdel Selm in Lebanon. Another person was also killed in the airstrike. According to a security official, his killing was a "painful blow" to Hezbollah.[8] At the time of his death, he was the highest ranking Hezbollah official killed during the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present).[10] According to some Arab media outlets, he was reportedly the brother-in-law of Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah.[11]

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.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Israeli strike kills top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon". Middle East Eye. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Slain Hezbollah commander fought in some of the group's biggest battles, had close ties to leaders". Associated Press News. 8 January 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ ""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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ a b "Israeli strike on Lebanon kills senior commander in elite Hezbollah unit". Reuters. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Hezbollah says Israel kills top commander amid fears of Gaza war escalation". Al Jazeera. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ "Hezbollah senior commander killed in targeted strike; Netanyahu warns terror group is 'making mistake'". All Israel News. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Hezbollah launches drone attack on Israel in response to top commander's killing". Middle East Monitor. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.