US Announces $7 Million Reward For Hezbollah Leader Behind Bombing Of Beirut Embassy

Ibrahim Aqil serves on Hezbollah's highest military body and is believed to be behind the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut in 1983.

Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, addressing the crowd ( Image Source :Getty Images )

The United States State Department on Tuesday announced a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Hezbollah leader Ibrahim Aqil, a statement said. Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Tahsin, serves on Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council, the State Department said.

The announcement comes on the 40th anniversary of Hezbollah's bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut.

"During the 1980s, Aqil was a principal member of Islamic Jihad Organization -- Hezbollah's terrorist cell -- that claimed the bombings of the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and the US Marine barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 US personnel," the statement said.

In the 1980s, Aqil directed the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon, the State Department further said.

On July 21, 2015, the US Department of the Treasury listed Aqil as a "Specially Designated National" for acting for or on behalf of Hizballah. On September 10, 2019, the US Department of State designated Aqil as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist". 

Due to this, all property, and interests in property, of Aqil that are subject to US jurisdiction are blocked.

In 2021, the US Treasury Department stated that Aqil "played a vital role in Hezbollah's military campaign in Syria by aiding Hezbollah fighters and pro-Syrian regime troops against Syrian opposition forces in battles inside Syria". 

Aqil has also been linked to the late Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike by the US.

The State Department had on October 8, 1997, designated Hezbollah as a "Foreign Terrorist Organisation". On October 31, 2001, the Department of Treasury designated the outfit as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist". 

Since its inception in 1984, the US State Department's 'Rewards for Justice' programme has paid out in excess of $250 million to more than 125 people who provided actionable information that had helped resolve threats to US national security.