Israeli military says it has killed nephew of Hezbollah chief
Israel’s killing of the top militant’s relative follows the deadliest day of the war in Lebanon
Israel’s military said Thursday it had struck and killed a close adviser to Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem in Beirut a day earlier, when Israeli strikes pummelled Lebanon.
“Yesterday, the IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem,” a military statement said.
Harshi was “a close associate and personal adviser to... Qassem and played a central role in managing and securing his office”, it added.
The killing came amid a shaky ceasefire has been largely holding between the US Israel and Iran, although Tehran and Washington have offered vastly different explanations of the initial terms.
Israel insists the agreement does not apply to their war against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and have escalated deadly strikes there, leading Iran to claim it is violating the deal.
Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon on Wednesday, hitting commercial and residential areas in Beirut. More than 200 people were killed in the deadliest day of fighting there.