Kamal Ghorui
Israel said on Thursday it killed the nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem in an overnight strike on Beirut, as Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued despite a ceasefire announcement in the US-Israeli war with Iran.“The IDF struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem,” the military said.Israel’s military said Harshi was “a close associate and personal adviser to… Qassem and played a central role in managing and securing his office”.The strike came after Israeli attacks hit commercial and residential areas in central Beirut without warning on Wednesday, killing at least 182 people and wounding hundreds, according to Lebanon. It was the deadliest day in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.Israel’s military said it had hit more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.The attacks happened hours after a ceasefire was announced in the US-Israeli war with Iran.US President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. When asked about Israel’s latest strikes, he said, “That’s a separate skirmish.”Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although Iran said it does.Black smoke rose over parts of Beirut as explosions shook the city and ambulances rushed to the scene. Apartment buildings were struck. There was no sign of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel in the first couple of hours after the attacks.
