JERUSALEM — Israel has secured long-awaited justice for the families of American soldiers and diplomats killed by Hezbollah, including in the bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut.
The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers' initial lack of enthusiasm for the targeted killing of the Hezbollah leader's mass murderer has sparked criticism among top counterterrorism experts.
Consider Israel's Friday removal of Ibrahim Akil, who was wanted by the United States for both the U.S. embassy bombings that killed 63 people and the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, in which 241 U.S. servicemen were killed.
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On October 24, 1983, a terrorist suicide car bomb crashed into the building and exploded, killing 241 U.S. soldiers and wounding more than 60. The U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters in Beirut is currently searching the rubble for survivors and bodies. (Photo by Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The United States has put a $7 million bounty on Akil, who was the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit. In July, Israel assassinated Hezbollah's military chief of staff, Fuad Shukr, who, like Akil, was implicated in the 1983 Beirut bombing.
Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on X, “The families of the Marines killed in Beirut have waited decades for justice. We are grateful to Israel for helping to bring about justice by removing one of the world's most vicious terrorists, Ibrahim Akil. May this send a message to Iran and its proxies around the world.”
Washington Post report “It still gives me a sense of satisfaction that he finally survived,” said Ryan Crocker, whose office was on the fourth floor of the embassy at the time of the explosion. Crocker went on to serve as U.S. ambassador to Syria, Iraq and several other countries.
“Targeted killings have been a cornerstone of US counterterrorism efforts since 9/11, but Israel's killing of Hezbollah terrorists at the expense of American blood has been condemned by Democratic leaders,” Max Abrams, a leading counterterrorism expert and tenured professor of political science at Northeastern University, told Fox News Digital.
He added, “The fact that even targeted killings of terrorists are condemned with blood-stained American hands exposes the Democratic leadership, which has pretended to have opposed the Gaza attacks since October 7 last year because of their negative impact on the Palestinian people. As we have seen, the Democratic leadership opposes all Israeli counter-terrorism measures, even those that are perfectly implemented to eliminate civilian harm.”
Emergency workers used excavators on Saturday to clear rubble from the site of Friday's Israeli attack in Beirut's southern suburbs. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
Criticism of the Biden administration's initial lackluster response to Akil's killing on Friday appeared to prompt a response from US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who on Saturday called Akil's death a “good outcome.”
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“This man has American blood on his hands and a bounty of justice around his neck,” Sullivan said, adding that “the United States long ago committed to doing everything in its power to bring this man to justice.”
“No one is shedding a tear over Akil's death, including Secretary Austin. He has American blood on his hands. I think the world is better off that he is no longer walking the earth. But that doesn't mean we want to see all-out war. We don't believe that is in the best interests of the Israeli people,” John Kirby, public affairs adviser to the White House National Security Council, said on “Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream.”
Ibrahim Akil was wanted by the United States, where the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Justice Rewards Program was offering a reward of up to $7 million for information about him. (State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security Justice Rewards Program)
David Wurmser, former senior adviser for nuclear nonproliferation and Middle East strategy to former Vice President Dick Cheney, told Fox News Digital: “The success of Israel's objectives is a multifaceted American interest. First, the death of a prominent Hezbollah leader will be accompanied by the deaths of many on America's most wanted list, many of whom the US has large bounties on. But despite the bounties, it is clear that the US long ago abandoned efforts to bring to justice the killers of American soldiers, diplomats and intelligence officers. That Israel killed them all in just a few days only further highlights the gap between the lofty rhetoric and the more ignoble reality of a half-century of US foreign policy establishment.”
He added: “The US's current stance of detente equates our democratic ally with the terrorists who shed the blood of thousands of Americans and is an utter shame. At least now our sacred soldiers have been avenged, albeit by Israeli hands and not ours.”
“We are fortunate in the Middle East to have a strong and loyal ally in Israel that shares our values and has attracted many other friendly nations to begin building a regional alliance to counter destabilizing forces in the region, including the Iranian regime,” Wurmser said.
Matthew Levitt, director of the Washington Institute’s Reinhardt Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, told Fox News Digital: ““Israel recently, for a short time, eliminated Hezbollah terrorists who were there from the very beginning and who conspired and carried out attacks against Americans in the 1980s. U.S. intelligence had been tracking these people for decades.”
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He added, “But these attacks were carried out by Fouad Shukr and Ibrahim Akil, Ali KarakiThe triumvirate has run Islamic Jihad together since Mustafa Badreddine's death in Syria a few years ago. They started out as foot soldiers in the 1980s and rose to the highest ranks in the organization.”
Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American expert on the Islamic Republic and editor-in-chief of the Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that “By removing Ibrahim Akil, Israel has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to fighting global terrorism, a fight that is in the interests of all nations committed to countering extremism.”
Another top Hezbollah official, Ibrahim Akil, was also killed in the airstrike along with Ahmed Wahbi. (Hezbollah Military Media via AP)
She added, “Rather than calling for restraint, the Biden administration should openly praise Israel's efforts and offer its strong support. It is crucial to recognize that peace may be achieved if groups like Hezbollah and Hamas cease hostilities. But if Israel halts operations now, it will continue to endure relentless terror similar to the attacks witnessed on October 7. Our collective security depends on Israel's determination to dismantle these threats.”
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“It was a terrible experience,” said former Marine Corps Sergeant Steve Aitken, who was stationed on a ship offshore after the terror attack while the injured were transferred to the ship for treatment. The Washington Post He called Akil's death “God's judgment,” adding that “we may escape it, but we will not escape it…Our memories are long. Israel's memories are even longer.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) also emphasized the significance of Israel's assassination of Akil. Write on X“Ibrahim Akil was a vicious terrorist mastermind who helped kill hundreds of Americans. On behalf of the families of the Marines killed in the Beirut bombing, and on behalf of all Americans, I am grateful that this killer has finally been brought to justice.”
Akil also oversaw Hezbollah's activities in Syria, helping Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad wipe out hundreds of thousands of his country's Arab residents.
