Although a 14-day ceasefire has been agreed upon between the US and Iran, tension still remains in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Israel has made a big claim, in which it has said that it has killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, nephew of Hezbollah chief Naeem Qasim. However, Hezbollah has not yet responded to the matter. “The IDF carried out a strike in the Beirut area and killed Ali Youssef Hershi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah chief Naim Qassim,” the Israeli military said.
According to a Reuters report, Israel announced on Thursday (April 9) that during an overnight attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut, it has killed a key figure linked to Hezbollah—the Iran-backed Lebanese group led by Naim Qassem. If Hezbollah confirms the death of Naim Qassem’s nephew, it would be a major blow to both the armed group and Tehran, as Hezbollah is one of Iran’s key allies in the Middle East.
Israel intensifies attacks in Lebanon
Even after the ceasefire agreement with Iran, Israel continues to attack Lebanon. Since Wednesday (April 8), 254 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, while more than 1,165 others have been injured. A Lebanese imam was also killed in these attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already said that Lebanon would not be included in the ceasefire agreement.
Araghchi issued a warning
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has issued a warning demanding a halt to attacks on Lebanon. He further said that if attacks on Lebanon were not stopped, Iran would cancel the ceasefire agreement. Posting on social media platform
Who is Naeem Qasim?
According to hezbollah.org, Naim Qassim was born in the village of Kafr Kila, located in the Nabatieh province of southern Lebanon. Qasim is one of the leading ideologues of Hezbollah and is among the founding members of the organization. In 1970, Qassim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Lebanese University, and also continued his religious and theological studies under the guidance of Islamic scholar Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. He served as the head of the ‘Association for Islamic Religious Education’ from 1974 to 1988, and was also one of the founding members of the ‘Union of Lebanese Muslim Students’.