In its fight against Iranian regime-backed terror groups in both Gaza and Lebanon, Israel is not only defending its own territory, citizens, and national interests. It is also benefiting the United States and other Western nations that are threatened by the Islamic Republic and its proxies.
Since October 7, Israel has eliminated several top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders who have been designated as terrorists by the U.S. State Department, including some who have had American blood on their hands for over 40 years.
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The following is a list of these U.S.-designated terrorists that Israel has eliminated since October 7, 2023:
Marwan Issa
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 10, 2019
Date of death: March 11, 2024
Nicknamed “The Shadow Man,” Marwan Issa was the deputy head of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, and was considered to be the third highest-ranking Hamas official in Gaza.
One of the earliest members of the Qassam Brigades, Issa was one of the key figures who helped develop it into a paramilitary organization and he was also a central force behind many anti-Israel terror attacks since the late 1980s.
Issa is considered to be one of the central figures behind the planning of Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Ismail Haniyeh
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: January 31, 2018
Date of death: July 31, 2024
Ismail Haniyeh was the political head of Hamas, having previously served as its head in Gaza (until 2017).
As head of the terror organization, Haniyeh played a role in the violent ouster of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Following the October 7 attack, Haniyeh both publicly celebrated the rampage and justified it as an effective assault against the Jewish state.
Abu Anas Al-Ghandour
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: April 6, 2017
Date of death: November 14, 2023
Abu Anas Al-Ghandour, also known as Ahmed Ghandour, was a senior member of Hamas, serving as the Qassam Brigades chief in northern Gaza and also as a member of the terror organization’s decision-making council.
Al-Ghandour was responsible for several terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel in both Gaza and the West Bank, including the 2006 kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
According to the IDF, Al-Ghandour was a “leading figure in the planning and execution of the October 7th massacre.”
🔴 Prior to the operational pause, IDF aircraft eliminated five senior Hamas commanders in Gaza:
· Ahmed Ghandour, Commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade
· Aiman Siam, Head of Hamas’ Rockets Array
· Wael Rajeb, Deputy Commander of Hamas’ Northern Gaza Brigade
· Farsan Halifa,… pic.twitter.com/iter9OdBnX— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 27, 2023
Muhammed Deif
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 8, 2015
Date of death: July 13, 2024
Considered to be the number two Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Muhammed Deif was head of the Qassam Brigades and is thought to be the mastermind behind the October 7 attack.
A prominent member of Hamas for decades, Deif spearheaded Hamas’ use of rockets and tunnels and was also implicated in many terror bombings against Israeli civilians during the 1990s and 2000s.
In the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, Deif was responsible for firing rockets at Israel during humanitarian ceasefires, endangering both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
Rawhi Mushtaha
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 8, 2015
Date of death: July 2024
Considered to be the “de facto prime minister of Gaza,” Rawhi Mushtaha was the highest-ranking political leader of Hamas in Gaza while also being involved in the terror organization’s violent activities.
An early leader of the Qassam Brigades, Mushtaha was sentenced to four life terms in Israeli prison for orchestrating terror attacks against the Jewish state, only to be released in 2011 during the Shalit deal.
Mushtaha was a close confidante of Yahya Sinwar, having served with him in Israeli prison and then co-founding Hamas’ internal security service together. This security service was responsible for the torture and killing of Palestinians suspected of cooperating with Israel.
Rawhi Mushtaha was one of the few Hamas leaders to be intimately involved in planning the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
Approximately 3 months ago, in a joint IDF and ISA strike in Gaza, the following terrorists were eliminated:
🔴Rawhi Mushtaha, the Head of the Hamas government in Gaza
🔴Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio on Hamas’ political bureau and Hamas’ Labor Committee
🔴Sami… pic.twitter.com/6xpH6tOOot— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 3, 2024
Fu’ad Shukr
Terror affiliation: Hezbollah
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 10, 2019
Date of death: July 30, 2024
Fu’ad Shukr was one of Hezbollah’s most senior leaders, serving on its highest decision-making council and also directing its military operations.
One of the earliest members of the Lebanon-based terror group, Shukr helped coordinate attacks on foreigners in the 1980s, controlled the terror organization’s operations in southern Lebanon in the 1990s and 2000s, and was part of Hezbollah’s deployment to Syria in the 2010s to defend the Assad regime.
In his role as commander of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon during the 2000s, Shukr orchestrated a number of cross-border attacks against Israel, including the ambush and kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers in 2006 that precipitated the Second Lebanon War.
As a point man between Iran and Hezbollah, Shukr is largely credited with helping to expand Hezbollah’s arsenal into one of the largest controlled by a non-state actor.
In 2017, the U.S. government offered a $5 million reward for information on Shukr’s whereabouts for his role in the 1983 suicide bombing of the U.S. Marine Barracks (which killed 241 American servicemembers) and French military barracks (which killed 58 French personnel).
Ibrahim Aqil
Terror affiliation: Hezbollah
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 10, 2019
Date of death: September 20, 2024
Similar to Fu’ad Shukr (who he replaced after the latter’s assassination), Ibrahim Aqil was an early member of Hezbollah who rose through the ranks to become a member of the terror group’s highest military body.
Through his 40-year career as a terrorist, Aqil had led Hezbollah’s foreign operations unit, was instrumental in providing Hezbollah’s support to the Assad regime during the Syrian Civil War, and served as commander of the Radwan Forces (Hezbollah’s elite troops).
In the past few years, Aqil had been involved in several attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border, including the Megiddo Junction bombing in March 2023.
The United States offered a $7 million reward for Ibrahim Aqil’s whereabouts due to his involvement in anti-American terrorism in Lebanon in the 1980s, including the taking of American and German citizens as hostages, the 1983 U.S. embassy bombing in Beirut (which killed 63 people), and the U.S. Marines barracks bombing.
Confirmed. The IDF has eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah Radwan Force commander and head of Hezbollah Operations.
During the 1980s, Aqil, was a principal member of the terrorist cell that claimed the bombings of the US Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people.… pic.twitter.com/Jj0pYlvYep
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) September 20, 2024
Ali Karaki
Terror affiliation: Hezbollah
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 10, 2019
Date of death: September 27, 2024
A member of Hezbollah’s highest military body, Ali Karaki (also known as Ali Karki) was commander of Hezbollah’s southern sector and was responsible for all of the terror group’s attacks that originated in southern Lebanon.
According to the Alma Research and Education Center, every anti-Israel attack since October 8 that originated in the south was either authorized by Karaki or directly coordinated with him.
After the assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, Karaki was chosen to be one of his successors.
Following a failed assassination attempt earlier that week, Ali Karaki was killed in the Israeli airstrike against Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah has released a Statement, as well as their First Trading Card in Days, showing Mourning for Ali Karaki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front who was also Eliminated in the Israeli Precision-Strike against the Hezbollah Central Command Bunker in Southern Beirut. pic.twitter.com/gysN0UdUd8
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 29, 2024
Hashem Safieddine
Terror affiliation: Hezbollah
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: May 19, 2017
Date of death: Presumed killed October 3, 2024
A relative of Hassan Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine was presumed to be Nasrallah’s successor as secretary general of Hezbollah following the latter’s assassination by Israel.
During Nasrallah’s lifetime, Safieddine was considered to be the number two figure in Hezbollah’s hierarchy, serving as head of the terror organization’s executive council and as a member of its chief military body.
Safieddine also had close ties to Hezbollah’s backers in Iran, which even extended into his family life – his son is married to the daughter of Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, who was assassinated by the United States in 2020.
The Israeli army successfully assassinated Hashem Safieddine, the likely successor to Hezbollah’s veteran Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, whom Israel had also killed just two weeks ago.https://t.co/2R05HFyz2K pic.twitter.com/yymEWw2Qfs
— Long War Journal (@LongWarJournal) October 9, 2024
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