Israel has long viewed Hezbollah as the most dangerous enemy on its borders, with thousands of trained fighters and an extensive arsenal of rockets and other weapons. And Israeli officials say Hezbollah's elite Radwan force in particular poses a major threat.
An attack on Monday in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's stronghold, killed Radwan forces commander Wissam Hassan al-Tawil. It is the latest salvo in back-and-forth attacks across the border that have heightened fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could escalate into a regional conflict.
The attack has been widely attributed to Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. Israeli officials have claimed that the Radwan unit is focused on attacking northern Israel and is a legitimate target.
Why does Israel describe the Radwan force as a threat?
Radwan has taken the lead in Hezbollah's long-running conflict with Israel and in cross-border attacks that have escalated in the three months that Israel and Hamas have been at war. Israeli military analysts say Radwan has taken on the mission to conquer the northern Israeli region of Galilee.
Hezbollah and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, share a common patron in Iran. If Iran and its allies were to make a serious effort to expand the war, the Israel-Lebanese border would be the most likely place to do so. And since Hamas launched its bloody attack on Israel on October 7, there have been fears that Hezbollah could attempt something similar.
“The Radwan Force is committed to repeating in the north what happened on October 7 in the south of Israel,” Tamir Hayman, a retired general who led Israel’s military intelligence until 2021, said in an interview. “It is precisely for this reason that Israel allowing its fighters to remain in the border area is unacceptable.”
Last spring, the Radwan force took part in a rare example of public Hezbollah military exercises, showcasing an extensive military arsenal and simulating an infiltration into Israeli territory. Sophisticated propaganda videos produced by Hezbollah have shown the group's small-unit tactics and live-fire exercises interspersed with threats against Israel.
Why are we hearing more about the Radwan Unit now?
Hamas' attacks on October 7 also led to increased attacks and retaliation between Hezbollah and Israel, forcing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border to evacuate.
In northern Israel, officials and residents have put pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect them from Hezbollah and allow them to return home safely.
“We need a guarantee that there is no danger to our citizens in the north,” said General Hayman.
What Israel viewed as a manageable threat now describes it as something more serious, and Israeli leaders have repeatedly mentioned the Radwan unit by name. In December, Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's national security adviser, told Israeli media that the country “can no longer accept the Radwan troops stationed on the border.”
On Sunday, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman, said a “focal point” of its actions in Lebanon was to push the Radwan force from the border.
Israeli leaders have increasingly said in recent weeks that there are only two options for restoring calm to the conflict: a diplomatic solution that would push Radwan forces further from the border north of the Litani River, or a major Israeli military offensive, which aims to achieve the same goal.
So far, US efforts to find a diplomatic solution have been unsuccessful.
Where did the Radwan force come from?
The unit's origins and composition are unclear.
The group takes its name from the pseudonym of its former leader, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in Syria in 2008. Under his command, the unit played a crucial role in the 2006 kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, which led to the outbreak of terrorism in the Second Lebanon War.
The unit later took part in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria alongside other elements of Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups. But the fighting over the last three months marked the Radwan force's most active period against Israel since 2006.
Johnatan Reiss contributed reporting.
— Euan Ward and Adam Rasgon