Israel on Thursday claimed its military killed Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem's nephew and close aide in massive airstrikes carried out in Lebanon's Beirut on Wednesday night. The announcement was made in a post on X by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
"ELIMINATED: Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary to Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem in Beirut.A close associate and personal advisor, Harshi played a key role in managing and securing Qassem’s office," the IDF's post read.
Kharshi was a close associate and personal adviser to Hezbollah Secretary General Na’im Qassem and played a key role in managing his office and overseeing his security.
The IDF said it attacked two key crossings used by Hezbollah to move from northern to southern Litani in Lebanon to transport thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers.
Additionally, around 10 weapons storage facilities, launchers, and headquarters of Hezbollah were also attacked by Israel in southern Lebanon.
Israel's attacks on Hezbollah threaten US-Iran ceasefire
The killing as Israel launched one of its biggest ever waves of airstrikes against Hezbollah, attacking targets in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. On Wednesday alone, 182 people were killed, and more than 800 were left wounded in the airstrikes.
Israel fired around 100 missiles within 10 minutes in a coordinated operation targeting Hezbollah leaders in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Tel Aviv accuses Hezbollah of operating from civilian areas, a claim disputed by residents and local officials, especially in neighbourhoods where residential buildings were hit without warning.
Hezbollah is an Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon and has been engaged in a prolonged conflict with Israel for years.
In retaliation, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. It demanded a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, pushing the ceasefire with the US to a collapse ahead of delegation-level talks in Pakistan to finalise the truce deal on Saturday.
Iran claims ending the conflict in Lebanon was among the 10 demands put forth to the US for the ceasefire; however, both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have denied this, saying Lebanon was never included in the agreement.
Also read: Why Lebanon has become a deal-breaker in the fragile US-Iran ceasefire
