Wissam Tawil was a high-ranking commander in Hezbollah who was killed in the south

Wissam al-Tawil, aged 48, was a high-ranking commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, a unit known for its operations along the Israel-Lebanon border. His life ended in an Israeli airstrike in Khirbet Silem, his hometown located about 10 kilometers from the border. This area has been a hotspot for recent exchanges of fire.

For decades, al-Tawil was deeply involved in Hezbollah’s activities, having joined the group in 1989. He was the most senior Hezbollah figure to be killed since the outbreak of hostilities following the October 7th attack by Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, into southern Israel.

Al-Tawil’s military contributions included commanding operations against Israeli positions on the border after the Israel-Hamas war erupted three months ago. He had a significant role in initiating the 2006 war with Israel and participated in battles against the Islamic State group in Syria. He worked in coordination between Hezbollah and the Syrian army during the Syrian civil war.

He was a key figure in a 2006 operation involving a Hezbollah unit that captured two Israeli soldiers, an act that led to a month-long conflict, resulting in significant casualties on both sides.

In Syria, al-Tawil was a close aide to Mustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah’s chief commander there, until Badreddine’s death in 2016. Al-Tawil also had a personal history of combat against Israeli forces, with both of his brothers also killed fighting for Hezbollah. He sustained a severe neck injury in an attack on an Israeli military post in 1999.

Throughout his tenure with Hezbollah, al-Tawil was associated with key figures like Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s military chief until 2008, and Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Quds Force, who was killed in 2020. Al-Tawil’s involvement in Hezbollah activities was extensive, spanning several decades and multiple conflicts.