Wissam al-Tawil | |
|---|---|
| Native name | وسام الطويل[1] |
| Nickname | Jawad |
| Born | 1970 (1970) Tyre, Lebanon |
| Died | 8 January 2024(2024-01-08) (aged 53–54) Majdel Selm, Lebanon |
| Cause of death | Airstrike by Israel |
| Allegiance |  Hezbollah |
| Branch | Redwan Force |
| Years of service | 1989–2024 |
| Battles / wars | |
| Relations | 2 Unknown Brothers[2] |
Wissam al-Tawil (Arabic:وسام الطويل; 1970 – 8 January 2024), also known asJawad al-Tawil (Arabic:جواد الطويل) was a Lebanese militant and senior commander ofHezbollah'sRadwan Force.
After joining Hezbollah in 1989, he participated in some of the group's biggest military engagements, including the2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid that sparked the2006 Lebanon War. During theSyrian Civil War, Tawil led the group's coordination with theSyrian Army and was a close aide ofMustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah's chief commander in Syria. Tawil also maintained close ties withImad Mughniyeh andQasem Soleimani of Iran'sQuds Force.
Born inTyre, Lebanon in 1970,[3] al-Tawil joined Hezbollah in 1989[4] and actively engaged in numerous guerrilla attacks against Israeli forces and theirLebanese allies during theSouth Lebanon conflict.[5] He was a member of a Hezbollah special unit that crossed into Israel during the2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid that led to the capture of two Israeli soldiersEldad Regev andEhud Goldwasser and sparked the monthslong2006 Lebanon War. During his years with Hezbollah, Tawil was close with the group's founding military chiefImad Mughniyeh, until the latter's assassination in 2008. He also had close links withQasem Soleimani, head of Iran'sQuds Force.[4]
WhenHezbollah intervened in theSyrian Civil War in 2011, al-Tawil was in charge of coordinating between Hezbollah and theSyrian Army in fighting against theSyrian rebels and in supporting the Syrian government led byBashar al-Assad as a close aide toMustafa Badreddine, Hezbollah's chief commander in Syria.[4] He also participated in theHouthi takeover in Yemen, facilitating the transfer of long-range missiles to Yemen'sHouthi 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 inMount Meron, which occurred two days before his assassination.[9]
On 8 January 2024, al-Tawil was killed by an Israeli airstrike against a vehicle in the village ofMajdel 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 theIsrael–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present).[10] According to some Arab media outlets, he was reportedly the brother-in-law ofHassan Nasrallah, thesecretary-general of Hezbollah.[11]
In response to al-Tawil's killing, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israel'sNorthern Command headquarters inSafed on the following day, situated approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the border.[12]
