Reuters issued a correction: the Israeli military's earlier announcement of killing Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem was based on miscommunication. During coordinated airstrikes on Beirut on April 8-9, the IDF actually killed Qassem's secretary and nephew, Ali Yusuf Harshi—not Qassem himself. Hezbollah has not confirmed or denied the reports as of press time.
Precision strikes eliminate high-value targets
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a large-scale, coordinated airstrike on Beirut overnight. Multiple Western media outlets independently confirmed Harshi's death, describing him as Qassem's "personal advisor and close aide." In the same wave, the IDF also confirmed killing Hezbollah intelligence chief Hussain Makled. Both men were eliminated in a single operation, indicating deep Israeli intelligence penetration.
Qassem remains in the crosshairs
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously publicly warned Qassem, saying "Qassem hasn't understood what Hassan Nasrallah understood in his final moments." Qassem succeeded Nasrallah after the latter was killed by Israeli forces in September 2025. On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for an attack on Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, triggering a full-scale war in Lebanon. If the latest strikes prove accurate, Hezbollah would have lost two consecutive supreme leaders within months, crippling its command structure.
US stance and Iranian moves
The Trump administration made clear that the ceasefire agreement with Iran does not cover Lebanon. Iran's parliament speaker accused the US and Israel of violating three of the 10-point ceasefire plan. The Iranian military claimed it has suspended the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. The situation remains highly fluid.