The Radwan Force was founded in 2006 as the Intervention Unit, a special offensive force to assist Hezbollah’s territorial units, and established with the assistance of the
IRGC Quds Force. The existence of the Radwan Force was revealed during
Ashura ceremonies in 2014 in the Dahiya neighborhood of
Beirut, when militants of a distinct unit were photographed while providing security. At this time, the Radwan Force was allegedly commanded by a man named Muhammad Ali Hamadi. As of 2023, the unit's commander was Haytham Ali Tabataba’i, who the United States added to its list of
Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) in 2016.
Involvement in the Syrian civil war The Radwan Unit gained prominence as an elite reputation in its involvement in brutal fighting in Lebanon and Syria as part of
Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian civil war to support the government of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad. According to Israeli researcher Dima Adamsky, the cooperation with advanced regular armed forces in Syria enabled the Radwan Force to transition from advanced infantry to a commando force, capable to achieve significant operational and strategic effects in a war against Israel. Early in the war, the unit was stationed in
Aleppo area and contributed to
battles of al-Qusayr and of
al-Qalamoun, being decisive for the Syrian government's victories. Troops were later garrisoned in northern Syria and
Saraqib in
Idlib Governorate, operating with
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and
Liwa Fatemiyoun The Radwan Force area of operations also includes the
Quneitra Governorate and
Daraa, integrated with the Syrian Arab Army and Shiite militias. In the South, the Radwan Force cooperates with the
4th Armoured Division, In May 2017, Radwan Unit was allegedly withdrawn from Syria and redeployed on in southern Lebanon. In February 2020, Radwan Unit was targeted by the
Turkish Air Force as part of
Operation Spring Shield, suffering over two dozen of casualties. In the spring of 2023, the unit took part in rare public military exercises by Hezbollah, displaying its arsenal and simulating an infiltration into Israeli territory. The Radwan Force led Hezbollah's participation in the
Israel-Hezbollah cross-border attacks during the war and took the lead for Hezbollah's operations in the broader, longstanding
Hezbollah–Israel conflict. After the October 7 attacks, Israeli security officials cited the Radwan Unit as a force it could no longer accept on the
Israel-Lebanon border. According to IDF Spokesman
Daniel Hagari, the focus of Israel's actions in southern Lebanon was to force the Radwan Unit away from the border, either via a diplomatic solution that moved the force north of the
Litani River or a major Israeli military offensive. On 20 September 2024, an Israeli air strike in
Dahieh in southern Beirut killed commander
Ibrahim Aqil, head of the training unit Ahmed Wehbe, and 13 other Radwan Force commanders, who were at a meeting of Radwan Force leaders. == Organisation ==