IDF officials: Hezbollah commanders killed plotted operation similar to Oct. 7, but in the North

Ibrahim Aqil and the other commanders who were killed planned to invade Israeli territory, capture settlements, and kidnap and murder Israeli civilians.

“The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7’ on the northern border for years,” IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the IDF eliminated Radwan Force Commander Ibrahim Aqil on Friday.

“We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens,” Halevi added.

Another IDF official, spokesman Daniel Hagari, also confirmed Friday evening at a press conference the elimination of Aqil, Hezbollah’s head of operations and the leader of the “Plan to Conquer the Galilee.”

In his briefing, Hagari said: “The Hezbollah leaders who were eliminated were planning to carry out an operation in the north similar to that of October 7.” He added that Aqil and the others who were eliminated had gathered underground and used civilians as human shields.

Hagari stated that as part of the plan, Hezbollah intended to invade Israel, capture Galilee settlements, and kidnap and murder Israeli civilians. “Aqil was responsible for anti-tank operations, facilitated attacks such as the one at the Megiddo Junction, attempted infiltrations into Israel, and was also responsible for the organization’s attacks abroad,” Hagari said. “He was a terrorist with much blood on his hands.

“We are on high alert, both offensively and defensively, and we are monitoring all developments. At this stage, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines,” he went on to tell the Israeli public. “Nevertheless, continue to remain vigilant and alert. We are in a tense period. The IDF is fighting on multiple fronts, and our enemies will try to challenge us in these arenas.” The spokesperson declined to comment on whether Nasrallah is also a target of the IDF.

A security source told Al Jazeera that the strike on Friday targeted 20 senior Radwan Force commanders who were meeting underground in a parking lot. According to the report, four missiles were fired at the building under which they were meeting, and the structure collapsed.