Nabil Qaouk (; 20 May 1964 – 28 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the deputy head of

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

's executive council and the commander of Hezbollah's "preventive security unit". He was designated as a

Specially Designated Global Terrorist A Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a person or entity that has been designated as such by the United States Department of State or the U.S. Department of the Treasury. An SDGT designation is made under authority of U.S. Executive ...

by the

U.S. Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

's Office of Foreign Assets Control ( OFAC).

Biography

Early life and education

Nabil Qaouk was born in the village of

Ebba Ebba is a feminine given name, the feminine version of Ebbe, which is a diminutive form of the Germanic name Eberhard or Everhard, meaning "strong." Alternately, it may be a form of an Old English name Æbbe, of unknown derivation, which was the ...

in Lebanon's

Nabatieh Governorate Nabatieh Governorate (, ') is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon. The area of this governorate is 1,058 km2. The capital is Nabatieh. Districts The governorate is divided into four districts (Aqdiya, singular qadaa) containing 130 mu ...

. His spiritual studies took place in

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

, Iran, where he was influenced by

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

ideology. His military training in Iran aligned with Hezbollah and the

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC)

Career

Qaouk was one of the top officers of Hezbollah in

Southern Lebanon Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa districts, the southernmost distr ...

, a region that has been a focal point in Hezbollah's confrontations. He was both a general and deputy head of the executive council, attesting to his influence in both political and military factions of Hezbollah. On 22 October 2020, Qaouk was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This designation implies U.S. government sanctions against him due to alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities.

Attacks

During the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, fought between Hezbollah and Israel. The war started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, thoug ...

, Qaouk's offices in Tyre were targeted by the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

(IAF). This activity was part of the Israeli military's broader response to Hezbollah's armed provocations, including the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and the launch of rockets into Israeli territory.

Personal life and death

Qaouk was married and had six children. He was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut on 28 September 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaouk, Nabil 1964 births 2024 deaths People from Nabatieh District Hezbollah members Lebanese Shia clerics Assassinated Hezbollah members Deaths by Israeli airstrikes during the Israel–Hamas war People killed in the Israel–Hamas war People killed by Israeli security forces Targeted killing by Israel Politicians assassinated in 2024 Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List 20th-century Lebanese people 21st-century Lebanese people Military personnel killed in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)